Hong Kong CNN —The Indochinese leopard is dangerously close to becoming extinct in Cambodia, according to wild cat conservationists, who spent more than a decade looking for the creatures and found just 35. During that period, they only spotted 35 adult Indochinese leopards, and when they returned in 2021, not a single leopard could be seen. Historically, the Indochinese leopard was found throughout Indochina – spanning Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and parts of southwestern China – but almost all the territory they once roamed has disappeared due to human encroachment. Only 35 adult Indochinese leopards were seen between 2009 to 2021 in Cambodia, conservationist group Panthera found. While leopards are vanishing from Cambodia, their numbers in the wild along the Thailand-Myanmar border are likely less than 900, Rostro-García added.

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Persons: Oxford University’s WildCRU, Hun Sen, ”, Susana Rostro, Gareth Mann Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Oxford, Biological Conservation, WWF, FA Cambodia, Global Forest Watch, IUCN Locations: Hong Kong, Cambodia, Indochina, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, China, WWF Cambodia, Malaysia