Thai bombing kills endangered elephants in Cambodian sanctuary; officials call it environmental crime

PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia (Dec. 24, 2025) — A mother Asian elephant and her newborn calf were found dead inside Cambodia’s Preah Roka Wildlife Sanctuary, with officials saying the deaths were caused by bomb fragments from Thai military attacks.

Ministry of Environment spokesman Khvay Atitya said rangers and local residents discovered the carcasses Dec. 23 near the O’Skaach stream. Preliminary examinations indicated the adult elephant, weighing about 500 kilograms, suffered shrapnel wounds believed to be from Thai munitions and prematurely delivered her calf, which also died.

Search efforts had been underway since Dec. 14, when injured elephant tracks and bloodstains were first reported. Provincial environment officials and the Wildlife Conservation Society joined the operation, but teams were unable to reach the animals in time due to dense forest and the sanctuary’s proximity to active combat zones.

Environment Minister Eang Sophalleth condemned the incident, calling it an “environmental crime” and a violation of international environmental and humanitarian law, which prohibits damage to protected natural areas and biodiversity.

Cambodia is home to more than 600 Asian elephants, an endangered species listed on the IUCN Red List and protected under CITES Appendix I. Officials said the deaths mark the first recorded elephant fatalities in northern Cambodia in nearly a decade, warning that ongoing attacks now directly threaten protected wildlife habitats.