Cambodia News (Ratanakiri): On May 24, 2020, the Ministry of Environment received a pangolin from the security team of the Banlung police station. They found the rare animal while on patrol in the middle of Banlung city, Ratanakkiri.

Mr. Thon Soukhun, Deputy Director of the National Parks Office, as the representative of the Ministry of Environment received the pangolin from Mr. Bou Ratanak, and the security team of the national police and Mr. Em Panny, deputy police chief of Ratanakkiri police.

The rare wild animal was found the day before, on May 23, 2020, when the security team saw the pagolin crossing the road as they were driving around in Banlung city. The team caught the pangolin and took it to the Ministry of the Environment to be released in the wild.

Mr. Bou Ratanak and Mr. Em Panny congratulated the security team on helping to protect and conserve the rare species of wildlife.

Thon Soukhon was one of Virachey NP's first ecotourism rangers and is today Deptuty Director of the Park and a man of integrity. Well done on taking possession of the escaped (from a cage, I presume) pangolin and I am sure it will be returned to the wild soon.

Mr. Virchey wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 2:12 am Thon Soukhon was one of Virachey NP's first ecotourism rangers and is today Deptuty Director of the Park and a man of integrity. Well done on taking possession of the escaped (from a cage, I presume) pangolin and I am sure it will be returned to the wild soon.

Yeah, some asshole will be running around looking everywhere for the pangolin he poached.

It's good to hear about a ranger advancing like that. Maybe Cambodia is somewhat of a meritocracy after all...
There are some great people in these ministries but I'm sure a lot of them would be shaking their heads at some of the decisions made by the upper echelons.

Exactly, Splash ^^^ especially true in the MoEnvironment

Part of the pine cone family.

i was hoping they would prove barking dogs and loud weddings and funerals cause covid19

Do.Not.Eat.It

More pagolin news.

Battambang Province: According to a report issued by the Ministry of Environment on May 29, 2020, on May 28, 2020, Battambang wildlife authorities in cooperation with the MJP staff received one male pagolin which weighs 1.6 kg.

The animal which was handed over to Mr. Dok Meng, Chief of Community Forestry, Kralan Village, Battambang Province, was rescued from a forest trap and will be released into the wild the next day.

In Cambodia, we are also protecting wildlife; the Ministry of Environment has made efforts to protect it for many years.

Pangolin Remains in Cambodia but Faces Extinction
AKP Phnom Penh, September 18, 2020 --

According to a study and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), pangolin is the most widely trafficked mammal in the world, especially in international trade for the so-called traditional medicine, health supplements as well as medicine for various diseases while in Cambodia the population of pangolin is unknown but through the seizure by authorities, this kind of species is facing extinction.

Mr. Olly Griffin, a Technical Advisor at WCS told AKP that Cambodia is home to one of the eight species of pangolins - the Sunda Pangolin (Manis javanica) - a Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

"The Cambodian population of pangolins is extremely threatened, and continues to decline," he said. "Under Article 49 of the national Forestry Law, it is illegal to 'harass, harm, hunt, net, trap, poison, possess, stock, maintain as a zoo or pet, transport, trade, export, or import' pangolins and violators face one to five years in prison, a fine of up to about US$2,390, or both."

Anyway, he underlined, pangolin is still threatened by illegal poachers and consumers and export likely to China and Vietnam for local folk medicines, health tonics, and as a source of protein.

Sunda Pangolin most likely ranges in size from 30 to 100 centimetres and has small ears, thick skin almost all over its body and is not very agile. When being threatened, pangolin often hides its face and wraps its tail to protect itself. With its about 25 centimetres long tongue, Pangolin consumes insects such as ants, mites and termites as its daily food and the fact is that pangolin does not have teeth.

Pangolin is a mammal, which means they give birth to live young and then produce milk and nurse them. Once the female is pregnant, she will carry the unborn baby, called a fetus for around five months before giving birth. The pangopups always seat on the top of its mother tale when its mother moving around. Pangolin's life expectancy is scientifically unknown but expected to be around 20 years in captivity.

Mr. Olly Griffin said the usage of pangolin is much like tiger bone wine, pangolin “health tonics” are made by mixing the animals blood with wine or even soaking whole carcasses in vats of the alcohol, none of which have ever been shown scientifically to be effective. Instead, consumers are ripped off by paying high prices for something with no real medicinal value.

Similarly, H.E. Dr. Ly Sovann, Director of Communicable Disease Control Department at the Ministry of Health, stated that the blood, keratin scales or any part of the pangolin as well as other wildlife meat, blood or bone and so on have not been scientifically proven to be good for health. There is no medical or scientific claim that it can be used or mixed with anything else to cure a disease, or to be a health booster or health supplement, but instead it could be a source of zoonotic diseases.
More here: https://www.akp.gov.kh/post/detail/218550