By:
• Chhum Chantha

• November 9, 2024 , 5:00 PM

PHNOM PENH — Traps that have been set in the sugarcane fields of the Prambei Mom Forest Community of Kampong Speu province pose a serious threat to wildlife, community members say.  

Soeun Lay, head of the community, said on Nov. 5 that he hopes the relevant authorities will step in and negotiate with the field owners to enable community members to access and remove the traps.

Lay and his team have successfully removed all the traps in the forest, thanks to the hard work and dedication of community members who have worked day and night to do so, he said.

“However, numerous traps remain in a nearby sugarcane field, which continues to harm wildlife, particularly banteng, and the community does not have permission to enter and remove those traps,” Lay said.

In 2024, 11 banteng were found dead in that sugarcane field as they often enter to forage, resulting in injuries and fatalities, he said

These traps represent ongoing threat to wildlife, Lay said. “The numbers of wildlife may continue to drop if guards are unable to enter the fields to remove the traps.

“I hope the relevant authorities will step in and negotiate with field owners to allow us to take out these traps,” he said. “The Prambei Mom Forest Community, which is a volunteer group of 14 members, receives no funds for our work. Thus, I also would like to call on the public for material assistance and financial support to assist the community’s patrol efforts.”

Heng Kimhong, president of the Cambodian Youth Network Association, said that the provincial administration and other relevant authorities should pay more attention to this case by arresting those responsible for setting the traps, this, in order to enhance enforcement effectiveness.

“The company [sugarcane field owners] should collaborate with the community and the local authorities,” Kimhong said. “Since patrolling for traps is a volunteer work, public donations to support the community would be essential as it helps them keep patrolling and removing traps that pose threat to wildlife.”

The community spans an area of ​​1,221 hectares in Prambei Mom commune, Thpong District, in Kampong Speu Province. In 2017, the area was home to 100 banteng. At least 31 of them have died over the last 13 years.

Originally written in Khmer for ThmeyThmey, this story was translated by Rin Ousa for Cambodianess.