Help save wildlife from snare crisis in the Cardamom Mountains

We urgently need your help to support the crucial work of our community wardens in Cambodia. The snaring crisis in the Cardamom Mountains is nothing short of shocking. Home to nearly 100 threatened species, this remote wildlife haven is being carpeted with dangerous snares. The extraordinary species living there – including sun bears, clouded leopards and Asian elephants – are all at risk as they are driven ever closer to the “wall of death”.

For the last decade, our vital community wardens have been patrolling the area, tirelessly removing snares and protecting the precious creatures that live there. They have been absolutely pivotal in helping to prevent the local extinction of many of these species – without them, the creatures would be facing a perilous future.

But now a critical funding gap has arisen for our patrol team. If we’re unable to sustain the project, then all of this hard work could be for nothing. As their habitat shrinks, these animals are running out of safe spaces in which to roam and are being pushed into areas where the lethal snares are concentrated.

That’s why we’re asking for your donations today – an amount of £92,345 needs to be raised as soon as possible to keep up the scale of the operation. Every single penny of your donation will go towards this project, and will help to buy crucial supplies like patrol boots and camping gear for wardens to carry out essential patrols in the area. Your donations will also help wardens to carry out crucial biomonitoring work, buying GPS kits and allowing them to coordinate their patrols in the most vulnerable areas. So please, donate today and help support the dedicated wardens working to keep the forest snare-free, before we lose these iconic species forever.

The Cardamom Mountains – a spectacular landscape comprising dense rainforest, mysterious mangroves, and wild wetlands – is bursting with extraordinary fauna and flora, including more than 60 globally threatened animal species and 17 globally threatened trees.

A beautifully spotted Clouded leopard prowling through the forest. Credit: Bill – Adobe Stock

The protected area is home to some of the most important wildlife populations in Southeast Asia:

• Sun bears, the second rarest bear species in the world,
• A critical population of Asian elephants,
• The beautiful and enigmatic clouded leopard,
• Dholes, a type of wild dog, similar in appearance to a long-legged fox,
• And the delightful Sunda pangolin

But these precious species are in the midst of a desperate struggle for survival.

For every single one of these species, the threat is the same: snares.

These gruesome metal contraptions are an ever-present threat in the Cardamom Mountains, and they kill and maim indiscriminately. From clouded leopards, to sun bears, to elephant calves, anything larger than a mouse can be ensnared by these unyielding devices. As the metal clasp tightens, the hapless victim is subject to indescribable pain. The more they struggle, the tighter the snare becomes, cutting deeper and deeper into flesh and bone. It’s an excruciating and lingering way to die.

Young elephant wears a protective boot while recovering after being caught in a snare. Credit: CharnwoodPhoto

All the while, rapid habitat loss – caused primarily by illegal logging, land encroachment, and unsustainable agricultural practices – is also threatening the creatures of the Cardamoms. Over 10% of the forest has been lost in just 15 years, and the animals are being slowly confined into a smaller and smaller space. This drives them closer and closer to what conservationists call the “wall of death”, making it only too easy for them to come into contact with one of the many snares lying in wait.

This is where our phenomenal community wardens come in – over the last decade, they have been diligently patrolling the forests. Our teams are made up of members of the local communities, and they are up there with the best.

These extraordinary people traverse over 100 km each month, painstakingly spotting and removing snares. They are also able to report any other threats, such as illegal logging or poaching, and are highly skilled in carrying out biomonitoring and data-gathering activities – all of which are crucial for understanding wildlife populations and ultimately helping to save them.

Wardens removing snares in Cambodia. © Jeremy Holden / Fauna & Flora International

As well as general patrols, the team is also on hand to help mitigate human-wildlife conflict, which has sadly been on the rise. Due to rapid habitat loss, animals – especially elephants – are being driven closer to human districts, increasing the likelihood of altercations with humans.

Our wardens have been helping by supplying human-wildlife conflict teams with flashlights and noise-makers, which can help deter elephants from the boundaries of human villages and farms, preventing crop damage or property destruction. And – since this work began in the Cardamom Mountains – no retaliatory killings of elephants have been recorded – an amazing success!

Until recently, a single significant donor has been generously funding our work – achieving some very positive steps – however, they are now sadly and unexpectedly unable to continue. To keep the project going, we must urgently raise the amount of £92,345.

We’re at a crucial stage – snaring is threatening to reach crisis levels in the Cardamom mountains and we urgently need your help to equip our Community Wardens and keep them patrolling the forests. If they were not there to help, the wildlife would suffer immensely for it and all of our hard work so far could be for nothing. Sadly, this isn’t just speculation – deforestation and poaching have devastated tiger numbers across Asia, and, in 2007, the Cambodian tiger went extinct.

If we can’t fill this funding gap, then the same fate could await a whole host of other species in the Cardamom Mountains.

The dhole, Asis’s very own wild dog, is threatened with extinction. Credit: Lab_Photo

• £10 which could help pay for protective clothing, helping wardens to carry out essential patrols in the area.
• £30 which will pay for one pair of patrol boots, to replace those worn out by wardens through hour after hour of patrol.
• £68 which would pay for a hammock, rucksack and camping gear for one warden, allowing them to sleep safely in dense forest.
• £95 which could help pay for a GPS kit, allowing wardens to coordinate their patrols to the most vulnerable areas.
• One extraordinary gift of £980 which will pay for a patrol motorcycle, allowing teams to rapidly reach any site of imminent human wildlife conflict – where minutes can be the difference in saving an animal’s life.

We must act, and we must act soon – our community wardens are absolutely vital if we are to win the battle against the snares, and without them, the wildlife of the Cardamom Mountains will be at serious risk of extinction. We need to make sure they have the necessary equipment to continue this crucial work and keep these animals safe.

Your donation will help to provide our wardens with the essential kit that they need to keep clearing the snares and monitoring the wildlife in the national park. Every single penny of your donation will go towards supporting their work to protect these species.

Preserving and strengthening our phenomenal team of community wardens is imperative if we are to succeed in safeguarding the endangered species of Cambodia. That’s why we’re asking you – please – donate today and help save the wonderful wildlife of the Cardamom Mountains.

• Patrol supplies and personnel – £62,038
• Community response training & zonation – £6,483
• Field coordinators – £4,473
• Strategic mapping team – £1,180
• Office costs – £405
• Management oversight – £263
• Food, subsistence and travel – £17,503

Total – £92,345

Fauna & Flora International (FFI) is the world’s oldest conservation charity. Over the last 100 years, we have literally saved species from extinction and even – with the help of our vice-president, Sir David Attenborough – helped bring mountain gorillas back from the brink. We work to protect plants and animals around the globe, and spend 94% of our income on charitable activities.

That’s why we’re sure that – with your help – we still have time to save even more species.

Thank you.