koh kong province – A Thai construction crew working on a road from Koh Kong to National Road 4 is being escorted by an armed soldier after repeated tiger sightings scared the work crew.
The tiger is three meters long and as tall as a man’s chest, according to one of the Thai soldiers. It has a cub, and tracks made by both animals were easily visible along the side of the new road.
The crew saw the tiger Jan 8, and clapped to scare it off. A Thai soldier armed with an AK-47 promised not to shoot the tiger unless it attacked. Cambodian soldier Sok Yoeun, 29, who is working alongside the Thai construction crew, said he would arrest anyone who attempted to poach the tiger.
Meanwhile, the task force charged with cracking down on the illegal wildlife trade confiscated at least 180 kg of live animals in Phnom Penh’s Chamkar Mon district Saturday.
Eng Peotith, team leader of a Wilderness Protection Mobile Unit, said his team confiscated the wildlife from a car bound for Vietnam. The wildlife included snakes, sunda pangolins and tortoises packed in porous bags.
The animals were set free Sunday in Kirirom National Park. Two women suspected of smuggling wildlife have been summoned to the Forestry Department to talk to investigators.
