Forestry officials in the provinces of Kratie and Stung Treng confiscated more than 40 pieces of horns and bones, along with over 40 live animals, in raids against wildlife smugglers on Tuesday with the help of the NGO Wildlife Alliance.
Sar Rao, chief of an investigative unit for Wildlife Alliance, said that in Kratie province’s Sambor district more than 40 pieces of horns and bones were confiscated, along with six living animals, from a wildlife smuggler.
“We confiscated six kinds of wildlife horns and bones, about 40 pieces of them, and six animals were still alive,” he said. “We arrested wildlife smuggler Sieng Heng, 34, and fined him 9 million riel [about $2,200].”
Mr. Rao, who could not detail what kinds of animals were rescued, said that Mr. Heng was freed after paying the fine.
Sar Vuthy, Stung Treng province forestry chief, said that four cobras, one python, four monitor lizards, one soft turtle, three civets, one non-poisonous snake and 23 turtles were rescued from a wildlife smuggler in a separate raid in Stung Treng City.
“We arrested one smuggler at his rental house in Stung Treng commune,” he said. “The suspect, Chan Dara, 32, confessed and paid an 11-million riel fine [about $2,700].”
Mr. Rao said that all of the animals were released into the wild at the Keo Seima biodiversity conservation area in Mondulkiri province.
In early May, Forestry officials confiscated about 100 kg of illegal wildlife meat, along with 49 live parrots and one monitor lizard, from a hunter traveling to sell his catch to a restaurant in Stung Treng province.
