Sunday, November 10, 2013

[News • 2013] New populations of Indochina’s Rarest Deer, Endangered Hog Deer Axis porcinus annamiticus (or Hyelaphus annamiticus), discovered in Cambodia




New populations of Indochina’s rarest deer discovered in Cambodia
Surveys confirm three populations of the Endangered hog deer in Cambodia

A joint team from the Royal University of Phnom Penh’s Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (CBC) and Fauna & Flora International (FFI) have found three previously unknown populations of the Endangered hog deer in Cambodia.

The hog deer, today listed as Endangered on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, once ranged throughout large areas of South and mainland Southeast Asia, but has suffered regional population decimations due to hunting, habitat loss and degradation. Cambodia is home to the only known wild populations of the Axis porcinus annamiticus (or Hyelaphus annamiticus) subspecies of the deer.

A field team, funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, conducted interview surveys in local villages, following up on hog deer reports with rapid field surveys looking for tracks or dung.

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