Abstract
We conducted a field survey of the distribution of primates at 73 sites in Cambodia, primarily in the Rattanakiri Highlands and the Cardamom, Elephant, and Dangrek Mountains, in 2008 and 2010, based on interviews with local residents, and observations of pet monkeys, wild monkeys, and monkeys fed at temples. In the Rattanakiri Highlands, information on Nycticebus pygmaeus, N. bengalensis, Macaca fascicularis, M. leonina, M. assamensis, M. mulatta, M. arctoides, Pygathrix nigripes, Nomascus gabriellae, and Trachypithecus margarita was obtained, although the presence of M. mulatta and M. assamensis should be confirmed in further studies. In the Cardamom Mountains, information on N. pygmaeus, N. bengalensis, M. fascicularis, M. leonina, M. assamensis, M. mulatta, M. arctoides, T. germaini, and Hylobates pileatus was obtained, although information on N. pygmaeus, M. assamensis, M. mulatta, and M. arctoides should be confirmed in further studies. In the Dangrek Mountains, information on N. bengalensis, M. fascicularis, and M. leonina was obtained. The habitat loss and degradation caused by large timber concessions, agricultural concessions, and illegal hunting are major threats to primates. Primates are protected by the Forest Law of 2002. Nevertheless, local residents are not aware of the law, and many consume and trade wild meat and animal parts. Unrecovered weapons and explosives from the civil war have accelerated excessive hunting of wild animals. Captive breeding of M. fascicularis for international trade for use in pharmaceutical testing and biomedical experiments might also threaten the wild populations, and its effect on wild populations should be examined carefully in future studies. Another problem is the translocation of wild monkeys to Buddhist temples, which affects the natural distribution of endemic genetic variation.
