Three Baby Leopard Cats Rescued from Flooding

As has been reported on many news sources for weeks now, Cambodia has been facing its worst flooding in 10 years.  While this natural disaster has been affecting homes and schools, as well as thousands of hectares of crops and roads, it has also disrupted the wildlife living in the region.

About two weeks ago, the village of Koh Krabei, situated approximately 10 km from Phnom Penh was overwhelmed by heavy rain and flooding.  On his way to his daily fishing route, a local fisherman happened upon three infant leopard cats stranded and abandoned by the floods.  They were so small, that they had yet to open their eyes.  The fisherman took the leopard kittens to his home, but he recognized that he was not capable of feeding and caring for these animals on his own and reached out for help.

A relative of a Wildlife Alliance staff member heard the fisherman’s story and informed WA’s CEO, Suwanna Gauntlett of location of the leopard cats.  Our Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team was immediately dispatched to retrieve the animals from the fisherman.

The three leopard cats are now being cared for at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center where they are under the watchful eye of one of our most skilled and devoted keepers, Mr. Roeun.  They are all in good health and happy in their new home.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Avian Flu - Swift Action Helps Avert a More Serious Disaster

Avian influenza - “bird flu” - is one of the most terrifying diseases in Asia. Strains of the H5N1 virus have probably existed for thousands of years, but periodic mutations can lead to widespread deaths of not only birds, but people and other animals as well, including cat species. In 2003-2004, a massive outbreak of bird flu caused the deaths of hundreds of birds at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center, and also caused illnesses in the rescued cat species, including tigers, and other large cats – the first time the disease was ever found to affect felines. In 2011, bird flu has return to Cambodia. Eight people have been reported dead across the country in the past several months, and birds at Phnom Tamao have also fallen ill and died. This time, however, our Care for Rescued Wildlife program staff are better prepared, and are responding accordingly.

Click to read more ...

Update from Teuk Chhou Zoo

Last month Wildlife Alliance was invited by His Excellency Nhim Vanda to help care for the animals at his private zoo in Kampot. Teuk Chhou Zoo needed to be completely upgraded to meet the needs of the animals living there. Immediately, new protocols were put into place regarding feeding, cleanliness, and general care. Those protocols are still in operation, and new initiatives are implemented as the need arises. For example, two boys have been taken on to collect discarded litter within the zoo – an eternal problem in Cambodia. The first month has not passed without its troubles, however animal and keeper welfare continues to improve and problems are dealt with as they arise.

Click to read more ...

Teuk Chhou Zoo: Caring for Animals in Need

For years, Wildlife Alliance has been aware of the Teuk Chhou Zoo, a private zoo in the Southern Cambodian city of Kampot. The owner, who has kept his animals for about ten years, no longer has the money to care for them properly and is very grateful that we are able to work with them.

Click to read more ...

Chhouk with new prosthetic foot featured on worldwide media

Rescued elephant Chhouk has always been a media darling. On July 29, 2011 he reached a new audience with a high profile video of him enjoying his new prosthetic foot, with a feature on the Huffington Post and prospectively throughout the world on American broadcast TV. If you’re just learning about Chhouk for the first time, you can read about him and his life on our site, and watch the fitting of his latest prosthetic foot here:

Meet Pursat: The World's Only Rescued Hairy-Nosed Otter

Wildlife Alliance’s Care for Rescued Wildlife program at Phnom Tamao is home to Pursat, a rescued hairy-nosed otter who is probably the only hairy-nosed otter cared for by humans anywhere in the world.

Click to read more ...

Nick Marx: A Life’s Work Saving Endangered Animals

Wildlife rescue director Nick Marx has devoted his life to saving endangered animals - in this new video he showcases some of his work and the motivation and passion he feels for the 1000 animals under his care at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center.

Click to read more ...

Moving On - Sun Bears Sloat and Sopheap Begin Their Rehab in Earnest.

It’s time for sun bears Sloat and Sopheap to take the next step to freedom. Rescued from wildlife traders 3 years ago, the bears are the first participants in a unique effort by Wildlife Alliance to release captive sun bears back into the wild. This week the two bears entered their rehabilitation enclosure in the Southern Cardamom rainforest for the first time, beginning a process of becoming wild enough to live freely in the forest once more.

Click to read more ...

Wildlife Alliance Takes First Bold Steps Towards Reintroducing Captive Sun Bears to the Wild

Sloat the sun bear sits in her cage as she is ferried across a river in Cambodia’s Koh Kong province. She is on her way to a rehab and release station where she will be prepped to return to the wild.On Wednesday May 4, the Malayan sun bears Sopheap and Sloat took an unusual trip through the Cambodian countryside, officially becoming part of a new effort that could have a major impact on wildlife rehabilitation and release efforts in the region. When they were just cubs, the two female sun bears were rescued from traders and taken to the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center to receive care, presumably for the rest of their lives. But now the pair stand a chance of returning to the wild once more, and hopefully many more bears will follow in their wake.

Click to read more ...

Wildlife rehabilitation and release - ensuring the health of animals after release

Our Care for Rescued Wildlife program pledges lifelong support for rescued wildlife if needed, but our goal whenever possible is to release healthy animals back into their native forest habitat. Read on to find out more about how we return rescued animals to the their rightful places in the wild.

Click to read more ...

A Pair of Endangered Monkeys Born at Phnom Tamao

The Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center plays host to many primate species rescued from the Cambodian wildlife trade, but one of the rarest is the silver langur, an endangered leaf-eater native to Indochina. But in the past week two silver langurs have given birth at Phnom Tamao — a first (and a second) for the rescue center.

Click to read more ...