Cambodian Wildlife Practices under Scrutiny
11/14/97
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Headline: Cambodian Wildlife Practices under Scrutiny
Source: Agence France-Presse
Date: 11/14/97
Byline: Gary Way
Copyright 1997 by Agence France-Presse
PHNOM PENH, Nov 14 (AFP) - Sun Hean waved a photo of a dead
tiger and voiced deep frustration.
"All this legislation and no law enforcement," said the head of
Cambodia's wildlife protection office, shaking his head. "I could
not even confiscate the carcass because we have to pay 20 percent
(of its value) to the villagers who shot it."
Sun Hean's dilemma is that his job is to protect animals in
Cambodia's forests, which according to wildlife experts is one of
Asia's last great fauna repositories, but is at a loss how to go
about it.
Rampant corruption and unchecked logging are two of many
obstacles he faces.
A government directive in 1994 outlawed the hunting, trafficking
or possession of more than 100 species, including tigers, sunbears
and leopards.
But the directive is effectively toothless without a wildlife
law, and as Cambodia continues to stumble down the democratic path,
such a law is unlikely to be passed for a while, possibly years.
Cambodia is applying to become a member of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Ivory and endangered animal hides, including tigers and bears,
are openly on sale here and his department is under pressure to
act.
Without further legislation he has recourse only to the Forestry
Law, which says that for any fauna confiscated the owner has to
recieve 20 to 30 percent of the total value.
While the law has angered wildlife groups who believe it only
encourages trafficking, his office has no funds.
"What can I do? I can't kill the animal and I can't sell it. The
government gives us no money. We need funding to feed the animal, to
transport it," he said.
A Briton, David Ware, who is building an enclosure for
confiscated sunbears at the government zoo in Takmoa, east of Phnom
Penh, said that with Cambodia emerging from almost 30 years of civil
war and the legacy of the Khmer Rouge, education on animal awareness
is badly lacking.
"The basics are not even in place, they would be better off
confiscating existing animals than wandering through the jungle
collecting statistics and getting their legs blown off by
landmines."
Randy Steed, an American casino consultant who runs an animal
sanctuary on his property north of the city has also faced resitance
from international wildlife organizations that have contacted him to
assist in caring for endangered animals.
He pointed out that in one instance two prestigious
organisations asked him to rescue a sunbear but balked when told the
bear would have to be purchased.
"They asked if we could care for the bear, but when we explained
that we would have to purchase it they said we don't do something
like that" he said.
The 600 dollars needed was privately raised and the bear is now
located in Sydney's Taronga Park Zoo with two other confiscated
animals.
"All those bears in breeding programs at the zoo wouldn't be
here if they had not been purchased," Steed said.
Several of the confiscated bears were rescued from restaurants.
Bears' paws are considered a delicacy.
Ware said, "virtually all of the conservation groups are opposed
(to purchasing) because of the trafficking element.
"But what do you do when the bear is about to be turned into
soup?"
Caroline Shemwell, in charge of the sunbear enclosure at Taronga
Park Zoo and currently in Cambodia is less enthusiastic.
Despite the short term good of purchasing animals "it's the lazy
way out," she said.
She is currently assisting forestry officials care for the
health of a further three sunbears being sent to Perth zoo in
Australia at the end of the month.
"It's a bad move, it's feeding the trade, you have to remember
that for any animal purchased, five are probably killed getting that
animal" she said.
"It would be better to pay the police to do their job rather
than to accentuate the trade."