More Than 60,000 Traps Removed From Protected Areas

[geovalin]

Nearly 62,000 traps were removed from protected areas last year, up more than 18,000 from the year prior, the Environment Ministry said, as a conservationist estimated the total number of traps being set in the forests could be five times as high. Ministry spokesperson Neth Pheaktra, speaking at the start of a government campaign aiming for “zero traps” in protected areas, said the traps threatened many species of wildlife both small and large.

 

The traps came in a variety of forms, from metal clasps to electric shocks, he said. Some 43,270 traps were removed in 2020, rising to 61,614 traps removed in 2021, Pheaktra said. Some 758 hunting rifles were also confiscated last year, he said. WWF country director Seng Teak said that previously most traps were traditional ones largely made from vines, but recently there were more modern traps with metal springs.

 

“They are very effective,” Teak said, adding that they cost only about $5 each. “They have upgraded.” Teak estimated that the traps found by rangers and community patrols made up about 20 percent of the total, with the remainder still left in the forests.

 

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