The Cambodia Vulture Working Group (CVWG) and the World Wide Fund Cambodia (WWF-Cambodia) in a report said that the vulture population last year was 134 in Stung Treng province.

This was a positive result, a 10.7% increase over the previous year and the highest census result since 2016.

The increase in the population was due to the team creating five feeding sites for the vultures.

Over the five sites, livestock carcasses were provided as feed for Rising Phoenix at Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) at Chheb Wildlife Sanctuary,  it added.

These two sites also recorded the highest proportion of visiting vultures, with 72% at Siem Pang and 17% at Chheb, it added.

The vultures nested in three monitored and protected locations in 2022, with 14 nests recorded in Cambodia and four more a short distance over the border in Laos, it said.

There was one poisoning incident in Kratie province in July, involving the death of four cattle from a carbamate pesticide.

The incident likely resulted in the death of at least one vulture in April and another in August, it added.

“After the poisoning incident an investigation was launched immediately by the WWF Mekong Flooded Forest team.  A poisoning training and response workshop was carried out by staff from WWF, WCS and NatureLife Cambodia at the site on August 11, with 27 participants from key local stakeholder groups taking part,” WWF reported.

WWF noted that other activities that were conducted last year, included surveys with the Provincial Departments of Agriculture, Forest and Fisheries to monitor the adherence to the ban on veterinary diclofenac, as well  as dissemination of  anti-poisoning messages for the International Vulture Awareness Day 2022.

“There were three CVWG members meetings, as well as continued links with the Save Asia’s Vultures from Extinction consortium, of which Cambodia is a member country,” it said.

The Annual Report 2022 summarises the results of projects undertaken from January to December 2021 by CVWG partners for the purpose of vulture conservation.

The CVWG is a collaborative group of organisations and government bodies. It focuses on three critically endangered vulture species in Cambodia;  the White-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis), Slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris) and Red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus).

The principal activities undertaken by the CVWG last year included, the operation of supplemental feeding sites, population monitoring, nest searching, monitoring and protection; conservation awareness events and outreach; monitoring and mitigating poisoning events; and monitoring and advocacy – against the use of vulture-toxic veterinary drugs such as recently banned diclofenac.

Vulture conservation in Cambodia follows the strategies set out in the national guiding document ‘Cambodia Vulture Action Plan’, which is produced by the CVWG and covers a ten-year period from 2016 to 2025, following the 2006-2015 Action Plan.

Yen Run, Stung Treng environment department deputy director said yesterday that he sees the vulture numbers in Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary increasing due to the partner organisations cooperating with the private sector to provide feed for them.

“The vultures are in need of conservation, so future generations can see these birds and it can also attract national and international tourist to visit the province,” he said.