Reviewing the status and demise of the Endangered Eld’s deer and identifying priority sites and conservation actions in Cambodia

Abstract

Eld’s deer (Rucervus eldi) was once widely distributed across Southeast Asia, however the species is now listed as Endangered, having suffered severe population declines and range contractions. Cambodia has been considered a strong hold for the Eld’s deer subspecies R. e. siamensis, however there is limited population data available for this species within Cambodia, making its status unclear. Here, we collated all records of Eld’s deer presence between 2000 and 2020 to provide an insight into the current status of the species in Cambodia. Data was sourced through literature review as well as the internal databases of conservation organisations and biodiversity surveys. Our findings reveal that very small, spatially isolated populations of Eld’s deer are now largely restricted to nine areas in the eastern and northern parts of the country and that urgent conservation action is required to secure the future of this species in Cambodia. Effective law enforcement and anti-hunting strategies, implementation of management plans within protected areas as well as investigation into the potential of captive populations to support the conservation of Eld’s deer in the wild are essential for preserving this species.

The influence of camera-trap flash type on the behavioural response, detection rate and individual recognition of Eld’s deer

“…A camera trap survey was conducted in Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary (SPWS), Stung Treng Province, Cambodia, to estimate the population size of Eld’s deer (Ladd 2022). The sanctuary includes deciduous dipterocarp, semi-evergreen and riverine forest habitats at low elevations (<350 m asl).…”

“…However, this can add significant logistical and resourcing challenges, as well as introducing a risk to the target species through handling. The use of natural markings for identification is highly preferable for Eld's deer because of limited management resources (Ladd et al 2022). Only adult males are routinely identifiable by their antlers.…”

Review: The status of the endangered Eld’s deer (Rucervus eldii) and conservation actions in Thailand

“…However, no accurate population estimates are available and population trends at most sites are unclear. Eld's deer has clearly declined at Ang Trapeang Thmor since 2014 (Ladd et al 2022). Gray et al (2015) estimated that the Siamese Eld's deer population in Cambodia had declined by 90% or more in the 2000s.…”

“…Reintroduction is an important tool for achieving the long-term conservation of endangered species (IUCN/SSC 2013;Stewart et al 2017;Valente et al 2017;Zhang et al 2019;Riga et al 2022). The Eld's deer or brow-antlered deer (Rucervus eldii McClelland, 1842), is an endangered cervid that lives in lowland areas with dry dipterocarp and mixed deciduous forests (Gray et al 2015;McShea et al 2018;Thu et al 2019;Wong et al 2021;Ladd et al 2022). They are found in the Indo-Burma hotspot region and are currently distributed in 7 countries, including India, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, China, Vietnam and Cambodia (Gray et al 2015).…”

“…thamin), was extirpated from Thailand, with the largest remaining wild population in Myanmar (McShea et al 2018). The population is currently in decline, with very few left in the wild (Ladd et al 2022). The Hainan Island Eld's deer population in China has at times been considered a separate subspecies Rucervus eldii hainanus; however genomic studies are still ongoing and it is still considered as a subpopulation of R.e.…”