The Indochinese jaguar is known to be an endangered animal in Cambodia. Wild cat conservationists have spent a decade looking for extant individuals of this cheetah and the results are just…35. But from 2021 until now, scientists have not found a single individual.
According to a report from Panthera, a global organization dedicated to the conservation of wild cat species, researchers set up hundreds of cameras in two areas of the Eastern Cambodian Plain between 2009 and 2019. During that time, Only 35 adult Indochinese jaguars have been found, and when they checked again in 2021, not a single individual had been found.
That has led scientists to the conclusion that the species is no longer fertile for the next generation, according to a report compiled in conjunction with Oxford University's WildCRU and published in the Journal Journal of Conservation Biology.
Looking back in history, this leopard was once present throughout the countries of the Indochina Peninsula - including Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, and some areas in southeastern China country - but encroachment from humans has caused most of the habitat of this species to be destroyed. During the study period, people in Cambodia increased their performance 20-fold, resulting in a 1,000-fold increase in the likelihood of animals getting trapped, and illegal hunting in the area fueled by increased demand for wildlife. demand for wild food, which is considered a specialty and symbol of the upper and middle classes in Cambodia's cities..
The Indochinese jaguar was discovered at Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary, the largest protected area in Cambodia's Eastern Plains Landscape. (Panthera photo).
Many hunters also attack wild leopards because of their thick spotted coat, and habitat destruction has greatly reduced the number of prey for this species. The World Wide Fund for Nature estimates that there are approximately 12 million animal traps spread across the Indochinese Peninsula, negatively affecting 700 species of animals in the region including Asian elephants and Sumatran rhinos.
Cambodia also suffers from the highest rate of deforestation ever of any country since the 1970s, according to the Global Forest Monitoring Station, which estimates that Cambodia has lost about 557,000 hectares of forest in the conservation area since the 1970s. 2001 to 2018.
There is no unified conservation initiative targeting the Indochinese jaguar due to lack of funding, and although authorities have stepped up enforcement of illegal poaching laws over the past decade, the number of trafficking Illegal wildlife sales are still reaching unprecedented levels. In addition, while disappearing in Cambodia, the number of cheetahs in the wild along the border between Thailand and Myanmar is uncertain and may be less than 900, according to Rostro-García. .
From 2009 to 2019, scientists recorded 35 adult Indochinese jaguars discovered in Cambodia. (Panthera photo).
Gareth Mann, Panthera's Jaguar Program Manager, said: "It is sad to see the jaguar, a long-forgotten species, suffer the same fate as its tiger relative, the tiger. in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam". Punishing poachers alone is not enough to end the extinction of wildlife species, as researchers call for a nationwide effort to reduce wildlife meat consumption.
"Just as the Indochinese peninsula has now become a tiger ambush and conservation site, it is also a place where the global community must fully invest its efforts to rescue the jaguar, in conjunction with the governments of Thailand and Malaysia. and Myanmar," said Mr. Susana Rostro-García.
The jaguar is listed as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species, while the Indochinese jaguar is classified as "Critically Endangered".
