Current Situation
Wildlife trafficking in Cambodia is a major welfare concern. The country serves as both a source and transit point for wildlife destined for traditional medicine markets, particularly in China and Vietnam. Bears are kept on bile farms, with Asiatic black bears (moon bears) extracted from bile through catheters inserted into their gallbladders, causing chronic pain and psychological trauma. Free the Bears and Animals Asia have run bear rescue and rehabilitation programs in Cambodia for over two decades. The Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre near Phnom Penh houses rescued wildlife including sun bears, tigers, elephants, and primates that have been confiscated from illegal trade or private owners. The centre works to rehabilitate animals where possible and provide lifetime care for those unable to be released. Staffing and funding constraints affect welfare standards at the facility. Elephants in Cambodia work in logging, tourism, and entertainment. The population of captive elephants is declining as wild elephants are no longer captured, but existing working elephants often experience poor welfare including chains, inadequate social contact, and overwork in tourism operations. Wildlife Alliance and Elephant Livelihood Initiative Environment (ELIE) have worked to improve elephant welfare and transition mahouts to tourism models that better meet elephants' needs. Freshwater biodiversity in the Mekong and Tonle Sap is under severe pressure. The Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas), the world's largest freshwater fish, is critically endangered with fewer than several hundred individuals remaining. Irrawaddy dolphins in the upper Mekong face entanglement in gill nets as a primary welfare and conservation threat. The Cardamom Mountains's Wildlife Alliance Protection program has reduced poaching through community ranger programs.
Key Welfare Issues
The intersection of poverty, cultural practices, enforcement capacity, and international demand drives wildlife welfare outcomes. Addressing root causes—including consumer demand reduction, alternative livelihood programs, and strengthened legal frameworks—is essential for lasting improvement.
Conservation and Welfare Intersection
Wildlife conservation and animal welfare increasingly converge as researchers recognize that conservation outcomes improve when individual animal welfare is considered alongside population-level metrics. Humane wildlife management benefits both individual animals and species recovery programs.
Pathways Forward
Progress requires coordinated action across governments, NGOs, local communities, and international organizations. Demand reduction campaigns, community-based conservation, improved enforcement, and sanctuaries for rescued animals all play important roles in improving wildlife welfare outcomes.
Resources
Organizations including TRAFFIC, Free the Bears, Animals Asia, and WWF provide resources and support conservation and welfare programs in the region.