Most people go to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat but did you know Cambodia has an incredible animal scene? Cambodia is home to the clouded leopard, tigers, sun bears, the Asian elephant, the infamous pangolin, slow loris, pileated gibbon, smooth coated otters and the little known binturong! The tiger has already gone functionally extinct in the past few years and the leopards are on the brink of extinction with the others endangered. Mostly this is due to poaching (Cambodia does not have strict enforced laws) of the animals & their prey and huge deforestation (Cambodia has the 3rd highest rate of deforestation in the world).
What can you do about this? Support the amazing Wildlife Alliance in Cambodia. Go on their treks and tours where all profits go to conservation. Sponsor their animals in the rescue centre for as little as $5 a month. Sponsor the rangers who are trying to protect our world. It all makes a huge difference. An for goodness sake don’t ride elephants in South East Asia or visit nearly any of the zoos. It’s not worth the Instagram post. Do extensive research to make sure it’s conservation based and the organization and affiliated companies are ethical. Know where your money is going.
Photo of Spotted Clouded Leopard by Wildlife Alliance