Rare creatures — from sun bears to pangolins — recorded in Cambodia park. See them
In the Annamite Mountains of northeastern Cambodia, Virachey National Park provides more than 1,500 square miles of untouched wilderness.
Much of the park is unexplored, earning the park its nickname as the “Amazon of Asia,” according to Fauna & Flora, a biodiversity research and conservation organization. The park itself is protected land, but it’s unclear what animals are living within its boundaries, and what challenges they may be facing.
Now, working with Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment, Fauna & Flora has conducted the first comprehensive survey of the park’s biodiversity, and researchers made some surprising discoveries.
“Virachey National Park is a truly sensational biodiversity hotspot, home to rare and unique species, some not found anywhere else in Cambodia or the world. Following months of field work in its remote jungles, we have made remarkable discoveries, including: the presence of the critically endangered large-antlered muntjac - a species of deer not previously documented in Cambodia -; one of the largest gibbon populations in mainland Southeast Asia; and a striking diversity of amphibians,” country director Pablo Sinovas said in a Jan. 21 news release.
The researchers used a combination of trail cameras and surveys on foot to document the unique park species, according to the release.
“The survey confirmed the presence of many threatened species, such as the red-shanked douc langur, Sunda pangolin, clouded leopard, dhole and sun bear,” the organization said in the release. “It also recorded a number of species for the first time in Cambodia, including the critically endangered large-antlered muntjac, two bat species, a species of glass lizard, a gecko, a flamboyant edible mushroom and three plant species (an orchid, an arum and a ginger).”
Along with trail cameras, researchers collected eDNA, or DNA present in the environment, by taking water samples and analyzing the contents, according to the release.
This technique revealed 161 different vertebrate species present in the park, including 15 threatened species like the dwarf loach, giant devil catfish, Asiatic softshell turtles and the Asian black bear, researchers said.
“Discovering nine species that were not previously recorded in the country is incredibly exciting,” Sinovas told BBC Wildlife Magazine. “It reaffirms just how special this landscape is and how much there is still to uncover and protect. For me, the most exciting find was the large-antlered muntjac, one of the rarest and most threatened deer species. The fact that the camera trap photographing this species was in the most remote, hardest-to-reach corner of the national park made the huge logistical and physical effort to get there absolutely worth it.”
Researchers also recorded two species of bat in Cambodia for the first time and in significant numbers, the organization said.
The surveys of Virachey National Park started in 2018 to initially target the northern yellow-cheeked crested gibbon, but later expanded to include many more terrestrial animals and ground-dwelling birds, according to the full report published Jan. 21.
The yellow-cheeked gibbon, described as an independent endangered primate species in 2010, has only been found in a few forests in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, and is now confirmed in the national park.
“The new survey studied the number of gibbon groups, with preliminary results showing that there are in the region of 2,000 groups of northern yellow-cheeked gibbon in Virachey National Park, confirming the park as the most significant stronghold for the species globally,” the organization said in the release.
“The Annamites mountain range – including Virachey National Park – is an incredibly important area for nature, people and climate. Vast amounts of carbon are stored in these precious, transboundary forest ecosystems, playing a vital role in mitigating climate change,” Sinovas said in the release. “It is therefore essential that we continue to work with our partners and with local communities to help ensure this biodiversity hotspot can be preserved for generations to come.”
Virachey National Park is on the northeastern border of Cambodia, just south of Laos and west of Vietnam.
The research team includes Sinovas, Oliver Roberts, Jeremy Holden, Neil Furey, Sin Sopha, Rogier de Kok, Sean Mardy, Oeung Hang, Nasak Chantha, Phyroum Chourn and Benjamin Barca.
This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 2:37 PM with the headline "Rare creatures — from sun bears to pangolins — recorded in Cambodia park. See them."
