A successful round up operation saw 9 banteng wild cattle captured and safely released into the Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary.
The mission was carried out by a joint working group from the Stung Treng Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, together with the Provincial Department of Environment, the Gendarmerie, and the provincial and district administrations.
According to February 5 statement by the agriculture ministry, the operation took place from February 2 to February 4, with the cooperation of the Siem Pang Conservation Organisation and Rising Phoenix Co., Ltd.
“The banteng is a beautiful species of wild cattle and is considered the ancestor of domestic cattle in Southeast Asia. Seeing the threat of poaching by unscrupulous actors, the working group was established to patrol and organise operations to evacuate them from high-risk areas to the wildlife sanctuary,” it said.
A video showed how the officials used tents to fence off the area where the banteng were discovered, before vehicles were used to herd them towards a central corral.
Once they were captured, they were loaded onto trucks and transported to the sanctuary.
The ministry noted that last year, 2025, the team successfully rounded up and released 16 of the animals. The 2026 operation will continue until February 7 to round up the remaining individuals.
It added that it, along with other relevant government institutions, is committed to continuing the protection of wildlife resources in Cambodia, such as the banteng, to ensure their sustainability for future generations.
