'Critically endangered' rare barking deer spotted in Cambodia, see pictures

A critically endangered rare barking deer has been spotted in Cambodia for first time. giant muntjac was captured on a hidden camera in norast Cambodia's Virachey National Park in Ratanakiri province, said   Environment ministry spokesman Neth Pheaktra. Pheaktra has shared pictures of endangered species on his Twitter account.

Giant barking deer captured in Cambodia

giant muntjac, known by its scientific name Muntiacus vuquangensis, was captured by surveillance camera for first time in Virachey National Park in Ratanakkiri province. giant muntjac is on red list of International Union for Conservation of Nature as "critically endangered". pictures shared by Neth Pheaktra on Twitter show giant muntjac in Virachey National Park. picture also show hidden camera installed by environment ministry.

Pheaktra said that presence of animal was very valuable for conservation of biodiversity and environment, reported Khmer Times. He thanked Environment ministry officials and local community for working toger to study wildlife in park. It is due to better protection and conservation of natural resources that has helped in presence of rare species being captured in Cambodia, reported Khmer Times.

Meanwhile, Cambodia has deployed its next generation of rat recruits to sniff out landmines and or unexploded ordnance (OXO). Amidst an effort to bolster demining operations, Cambodian ministration imported 25 African giant pouch rats from Tanzania and trained m to sniff out explosives. African or Gambian pouch rats have not only been used to detect land mines before but also for diseases like Tuberculosis. While Gambian rats have poor eyesight but are blessed with an exceptional sense of smell. se rats, which are reportedly easy to handle as y do not bite, could help military’s demining process and help reduce number of explosive accidents in country. According to official records, Cambodia has highest number of amputees in world, a number pushed up by landmine explosions.

IMAGE: pheaktraneth/Twitter