Hunting in Cambodia

Last updated

Hunting is a popular recreational pursuit, a tourist activity in Cambodia, but mostly still a livelihood for many people in Cambodia.

Contents

History

Angkorian era

Hunting scenes with elephants can be seen carved into the wall in several places in Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom sur la Terrasse des elephants (1).jpg
Hunting scenes with elephants can be seen carved into the wall in several places in Angkor Thom.

Hunting in Cambodia has a long tradition of being prohibited and reserved for the King, at the same time as poaching and recreational hunting are tolerated.

From ancient times, the use of the Austroasiatic crossbow as documented from archeological evidence in Angkor Wat reflecting an ancestral practise of hunting.

Elephant hunting was the most noble form of hunting with its own codes and ethics. In 1950, Chhim Krasem wrote a treaty about hunting for the office of archives and chronicles of the Royal Palace of Phnom Penh, providing a detailed academic description of the royal rite. The Commission on Cambodian costums and practises in an enquiry made in 1962 saw that the account given by the Khmer mahout was more practical but matched remarks made by Krassem. [1] With many rites referring back the vedic religions such as the unveiling of the Ganesh dagger or kris as an ominous sign, these rites, which were last used in 1958, traced elephant hunting to its Angkorian origins. [2]

French Protectorate

During the French protectorate of Cambodia, the hunting laws of the French Republic were applied in Cambodia; thus, the hunting season was strictly closed between the first Sunday of June and the first Sunday of November, until it was totally forbidden. This hunting season would respect reproduction cycles in a Europepan climate but was incoherent with the monsoon climate of Cambodia.

French explorer Henri Mouhot describes the joys and fears of hunting in Cambodia, as his machine guns outcompeted the Austroasiatic cross-bow. Travels in the central parts of Indo-China (Siam), Cambodia, and Laos - during the years 1858, 1859, and 1860 (1864) (14596272740).jpg
French explorer Henri Mouhot describes the joys and fears of hunting in Cambodia, as his machine guns outcompeted the Austroasiatic cross-bow.

However, hunting in Cambodia was so popular that avid hunters would come from Saigon or even the Philippines. Thus, Captain Charles P. Snyder, arrived in Cambodia from Manila in March 1928 on board the "Sisiman" loaded with guns and ammunitions to find tigers, panthers, rhinoceros, wild boar, goats. [3] Hunters were allowed unlimited kills without any taxes being imposed. [4]

Civil war era

In 1959, Yim Dith, secretary of state for Agriculture under the Sangkum government led by Prince Sihanouk reminded that hunting was illegal in Cambodia while Tim Dong, general delegate for Tourism declared on November 13, 1959, through the Agence Kampuchea Press that he was relying on hunting safaris to develop tourism to Cambodi, revealing tensions in leadership around the issue of hunting. Thus, according to the National Tourist Office of Cambodia planned to woo tourists 1960, [5] Cambodia offered "some of the best hunting to be found in Asia". [4]

Hoeur Lay Inn, deputy to the National Assembly for the Snuol district and later delegate of the Khmer Republic to the United Nations in New York, was a major promoter of hunting in Cambodia. He favoured implementing hunting seasons adapted to the Cambodian climate and punishing animal massacres and sacrifice. [6] He lobbied in favour of hunting licenses to curb the practise of poaching:

In France, there are a few poachers and millions of hunters. In Cambodia, it is quite the opposite.

— Hoeur Lay Inn, Réalités Cambodgiennes, 27 November 1959

Poaching at that time was attributed to the Chivapols, the royal militia which was protected by Prince Sihanouk. [6] Illegal poaching became more and more common as the nation fell into civil war and the people were left to fend for themselves while the black market plundered their natural resources.

Modern era

Since 1994, community forestry was intended to reducing poaching and deforestation in Cambodia, but results are unclear as to the success of such programs. [7]

In 2009, the Cambodian government announced the creation of the O'Yadav Protected Forest (OPF) in Ratanakiri Province, the Kingdom's first hunting reserve, comprising around 100,000 hectares, where big-game trophy hunters are allowed to pay thousands of dollars to shoot wild animals including gaur, banteng, wild boar and deer. [8] The project was criticized since 2007 by the WWF. [9]

Indochinese serows are currently facing extinction in Cambodia due to poaching and habitat loss. Capricornis milneedwardsii 1.jpg
Indochinese serows are currently facing extinction in Cambodia due to poaching and habitat loss.

In May 2017, an Environment Department office in Ratanakkiri province's O’Yadav district was set on fire by villagers unhappy with officials’ efforts to curb poaching and logging. [10] In fact, all across Cambodia, there is still a prevalent reliance on wild meat, with an estimated 83% of rural households engaged in some form of harvest. [11]

In 2021, according to the Ministry of Environment, Cambodia deployed 1,200 rangers to guard 75 protected areas and biodiversity corridors covering 7.3 million hectares in 21 provinces across the country. However, fewer and fewer poachers are being caught. [12]

In March 2022, the direction of the Ministry of Environment in collaboration with WWF and USAID and other development partners, launched a campaign to abolish snaring, trafficking, and the market for bush meat and wildlife products while providing livelihood alternatives for would-be poachers. [12]

Types of hunting

Indochinese serow

The Indochinese serow known in Cambodia as សត្វកែះ /sat kɛh/ , is restricted to the forests of the karstic mountain areas in Mondulkiri Province. Hunting for food or traditional medicine and superstitions as well as landmines and other ordnance left by the Cambodian Civil War are a threat to its survival. [13]

Indochinese leopard

The Indochinese leopard has been overhunted to the point where it is "functionnally extinct" in Cambodia. [14]

Long-tailed Macaque

In Pursat, long-tailed macaque hunting is still very common and prices have gone up with increased rarity. [15]

Legislation

The Forestry Law adopted by the Parliament of Cambodia in August 2002 stipulates in article 50 that "it is strictly prohibited to hunt, harm or harass all wildlife, including common, vulnerable and endangered species", in the following time, place and manner:

  1. By use of dangerous methods;
  2. During the closed season; and
  3. In protected zones and special public areas.

It is even "prohibited to attempt or to commit the following activities against vulnerable and endangered wildlife species", meaning that poachers need not be caught red-handed but only being with weapons in a protected area is already a criminal offence. [16]

Organisations

Wildlife Alliance is actively fighting against illegal hunting and poaching in Cambodia. In 2023, the Alliance was ready to give $1,000 to anyone providing information on illegal hunting and trapping in protected areas. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pursat province</span> Province of Cambodia

Pursat is a province of Cambodia. It is in the western part of the country and borders clockwise from the north: Battambang province, the Tonlé Sap, Kampong Chhnang province, Kampong Speu province, Koh Kong province, and East Thailand. It lies between the Tonle Sap and the northern end of the Cardamom Mountains. The Pursat River bisects the province, running from the Cardamoms in the west to the Tonle Sap in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardamom Mountains</span> Mountain chain in Cambodia

The Cardamom Mountains, or the Krâvanh Mountains, is a mountain range in the southwest part of Cambodia and Eastern Thailand. The majority of the range is within Cambodia.

Cambodians in France consist of ethnic Khmer people who were born in or immigrated to France. The population as of 2020 was estimated to be about 80,000 making the community one of the largest in the Cambodian diaspora. The Cambodian population in France is the most established outside Southeast Asia, with a presence dating to well before the Vietnam War and subsequent Indochina refugee crisis including the horrors of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge who took over in Phnom Penh on 17 April 1975. A few numbers of Cambodian people were able to escape and migrate to France before the Khmer Rouge took power in Cambodia as the Cambodian Civil War came to an end and overthrow U.S.-backed military dictatorship of Lon Nol and the Khmer Republic. His brother Lon Non and the other Khmer officials were arrested and executed by the CPK, the Marxist-Leninist dictatorship that seized power in Phnom Penh. 13 days before the Fall of Saigon and the Second Indochina War ended on 30 April 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Museum of Cambodia</span> Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The National Museum of Cambodia is Cambodia's largest museum of cultural history and is the country's leading historical and archaeological museum. It is located in Chey Chumneas, Phnom Penh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bokator</span> Cambodian martial art

Bokator or Kun L'bokator is an ancient Cambodian battlefield martial art. It is one of the oldest fighting systems existing in the world and is recognised as intangible cultural heritage by the UNESCO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Cambodia</span>

The wildlife of Cambodia is very diverse with at least 162 mammal species, 600 bird species, 176 reptile species, 900 freshwater fish species, 670 invertebrate species, and more than 3000 plant species. A single protected area, Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, is known to support more than 950 total species, including 75 species that are listed as globally threatened on the IUCN Red List. An unknown amount of species remains to be described by science, especially the insect group of butterflies and moths, collectively known as lepidopterans.

Krakor is a district in Pursat province, Cambodia. The district capital is Krakor town located 25 kilometres east of the provincial capital, Pursat town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife Alliance</span> US-based non-profit organization

Wildlife Alliance is an international non-profit forest and wildlife conservation organization with current programs in Cambodia. It is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Phnom Penh. The logo of the organization is the Asian elephant, an emblematic species and the namesake for the Southwest Elephant Corridor that Wildlife Alliance saved when it was under intense threat of poaching and habitat destruction in 2001. It is today one of the last remaining unfragmented elephant corridors in Asia. Due to Government rangers' and Wildlife Alliance's intensive anti-poaching efforts, there have been zero elephant killings since 2006. Dr. Suwanna Gauntlett is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wildlife Alliance, and one of the original founders of WildAid. The organization is governed by a board of directors and an international advisory board that provides guidance on strategy, fundraising, and outreach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Cambodia</span>

Cambodia has 612 km (380 mi) of 1,000 mm metre gauge rail network, consisting of two lines: one from the capital, Phnom Penh, to Sihanoukville, and another from Phnom Penh to Poipet, on the Thai border. The lines were originally constructed during the time when the country was part of French Indochina, but due to neglect and damage from civil war during the latter half of the 20th century, the railways were in a dilapidated state, and all services had been suspended by 2009. Through rehabilitation efforts by the government of Cambodia, with funding from the Asian Development Bank, Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), and the Australian company Toll Holdings, freight and limited passenger service returned between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville by 2016, and passenger service between Phnom Penh and Poipet was fully restored in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakhon Khol</span> Cambodian dance drama genre

Lakhon Khol or Khmer Masked Theatre is a dance drama genre that is performed in Cambodia.

The Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre is a wildlife centre located roughly 25 miles (40 km) by road south of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The centre was established in 1995 and with an area of over 6,000 acres of protected regenerating forest, this is the largest zoo in Cambodia. Since 2001, PTWRC has been run by the government institution of Cambodian Forestry Administration in partnership with an environmental non-profit organization called Wildlife Alliance. Wildlife Alliance animal husbandry specialists, veterinarians, and care takers assist in the feeding and care of animals and operations. PTWRC currently houses over 1,200 rescued animals from 102 species including endangered Asian elephants, tigers, Pileated gibbon, Siamese crocodile, Malayan sun bears, among many others. Many of the species are listed as Endangered or Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mrenh kongveal</span> Legendary Khmer elves

Mrenh kongveal are beings in Cambodian folk mythology resembling elves of western folklore; they are particularly associated with guarding animals. By anecdotal accounts the roots of Mrenh kongveal appear to be uniquely Khmer. The mrenh kongveal are small in stature with bodies comparable in size to human children, and are fond of mischief. Offerings are often left to them when seeking their help.

George Groslier was a French polymath who – through his work as a painter, writer, historian, archaeologist, ethnologist, architect, photographer and curator – studied, described, popularized and worked to preserve the arts, culture and history of the Khmer Empire of Cambodia. Born in Phnom Penh to a French civil servant – he was the first French child ever born in Cambodia – Groslier was taken by his mother to France at the age of two and grew up in Marseille. Aspiring to become a painter, he tried but failed to win the prestigious Prix de Rome. Shortly afterwards, he returned to Cambodia, on a mission from the Ministry of Education. There he met and befriended a number of French scholars of traditional Cambodian culture. Under their influence, he wrote and published, in France in 1913, his initial book on this subject: Danseuses Cambodgiennes – Anciennes et Modernes. It was the very first scholarly work ever published in any language on Cambodian dance. He then returned to Cambodia, traveling the length and breadth of the country to examine its ancient monuments and architecture. From this experience came his book A l'ombre d 'Angkor; notes et impressions sur les temples inconnus de l'ancien Cambodge. In June 1914, Groslier enlisted in the French army and was employed as a balloonist in the early part of World War I. It was during this time that he met and married sportswoman Suzanne Cecile Poujade; they eventually had three children.

LinDa Saphan is a Cambodian artist and social anthropologist. Born in Phnom Penh, she grew up in Canada and graduated in France. She has supported women artists from Cambodia, co-organizing the first Visual Arts Open festival celebrating Cambodian artists in 2005. Her recent art work had included textiles and embroidery. As an academic, she is currently assistant professor of sociology at Paris Nanterre University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary</span> Protected area in eastern Cambodia

Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary is a 2,926.9 km2 (1,130.1 sq mi) protected area of mixed seasonal tropical forest in eastern Cambodia, located in Mondulkiri and Kratié provinces. The area was first established as Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area in 2002, later becoming Seima Protection Forest in 2009, finally becoming Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in 2016. The site is of national, regional, and global importance for a range of biodiversity, with more than 950 species recorded within the protected area. It is also the ancestral and contemporary home of a large number of the Bunong ethnic group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Mount Bokor</span> Old Catholic church in Cambodia

The Church of Mount Bokor also known as the Old Catholic Church of Bokor Mountain is second-oldest standing Roman Catholic church in the Kingdom of Cambodia atop the Bokor Hill station. Built in the 1920s, it is one of the few churches in Cambodia to have survived the systematic destruction of churches and pagodas under the terror of the Khmer Rouge. Currently in ruins, a restoration project is under development.

Ta Pech, Khleang Moeung or Sena Moeung is a mythical-historical sixteenth century military leader in, and a guardian spirit neak ta whose field of action extends to the entire west of Tonle Sap Lake.

Chhim Krasem or Krassem was a member of the Khmer intelligentsia during the first half of the 20th century during the period of transition from the French protectorate to the independent Kingdom of Cambodia.

Heng Vong Bunchhat is a Cambodian lawyer, who is a Senior Adviser to the Government most famous for setting up the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. He was the candidate nominated by the Royal Government of Cambodia for election to the International Criminal Court in 2003. He is considered as the father of the Constitution of Cambodia, having drafted both the republican Constitution of 1974 and the royalist Constitution of 1993.

Phnom Thnout-Phnom Pok Wildlife Sanctuary is a 42,097 ha protected area in northern Cambodia, located in Siem Reap province. The area was formally protected as a wildlife sanctuary in August 2017. The area is supported by Our Future Organization, with the conservation program developing out of the BeTreed ecotourism social enterprise first established in 2013.

References

  1. ↑ Chap, Phin (1962). "Histoire de prise des éléphants par la Commissions des moeurs et coutumes Khmers" (PDF). Kambuja Suriya (in Khmer) (9): 1047–1060.
  2. ↑ Ellul, Jean (1973). "Le traité de la chasse aux éléphants de l'Uknha Maha Pithu Krassem" (PDF). Annales de l'Université des Beaux-Arts de Phnom Penh (in French). Phnom Penh: 45–76.
  3. ↑ "Shooting and fishing note". The China Journal of Science & Arts: Vol 4: January-June 1926. North China Daily News & Herald Limited. 1926.
  4. 1 2 Arfanis, Peter (1998-01-30). "Big game hunting: "The elephants are leaving"". Phnom Penh Post . Retrieved 2023-07-05.
  5. ↑ Big Game Hunting in Cambodia. Office du Tourisme du Cambodge. 1960.
  6. 1 2 Hoeur, Lay Inn (1971). La Chasse: Souvenirs de l'Est-cambodgien (in French) (3rd ed.). Phnom Penh: Réalités cambodgiennes. pp. 2–3.
  7. ↑ Lambrick, Frances H.; Brown, Nick D.; Lawrence, Anna; Bebber, Daniel P. (April 2014). "Effectiveness of Community Forestry in Prey Long Forest, Cambodia: Effectiveness of Community Forestry". Conservation Biology. 28 (2): 372–381. doi:10.1111/cobi.12217. PMID   24400672. S2CID   9389818.
  8. ↑ Hayes, Michael; Chakrya, Khouth Sophak (2009-03-03). "R'kiri game hunting park approved". Phnom Penh Post . Retrieved 2023-07-05.
  9. ↑ "Cambodia plans hunting safaris for VIP tourists". Reuters. 2007-12-11. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
  10. ↑ Dara, Mech (2017-05-01). "Government office razed after ban on hunting, logging". Phnom Penh Post . Retrieved 2023-07-05.
  11. ↑ Ibbett, Harriet; Keane, Aidan; Dobson, Andrew D. M.; Griffin, Olly; Travers, Henry; Milner-Gulland, E. J. (November 2021). "Estimating hunting prevalence and reliance on wild meat in Cambodia's Eastern Plains". Oryx. 55 (6): 878–888. doi: 10.1017/S0030605319001455 . hdl: 20.500.11820/e0a2da1a-6a0c-4a8b-baf7-67c0169f5de4 . ISSN   0030-6053. S2CID   226327837.
  12. 1 2 Ngay, Nai (2022-07-16). "Cambodia's wildlife still faces high risk of hunting". Camboja News. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
  13. ↑ David M. Shackleton, Wild sheep and goats and their relatives, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
  14. ↑ "Critically endangered Indochinese leopard now functionally extinct in Cambodia". Khmer Times. 2023-06-22. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
  15. ↑ "La chasse aux singes, un secret de polichinelle pour les habitants de Pursat". Le Petit Journal. 2022-11-26. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
  16. ↑ Forestry Law (PDF). World Trade Organization: Parliament of Cambodia. 2022.
  17. ↑ Po, Sophea (2023-04-05). "$1,000 Offered for Wildlife Hunting Information". Cambodianess. Retrieved 2023-07-05.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.