The Mondulkiri Provincial Court has charged a Vietnamese man for shooting wildlife in the Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary in Koh Nhek district after rangers arrested him while he and his accomplices hunted and snared a peacock.

Provincial court spokesman Meas Bros told The Post on Tuesday that Investigating Judge Sun Piseth detained a 50-year-old suspect identified as Nguyen Van Sy who lives in Vietnam’s Dak Lak province for hunting wildlife in the sanctuary.

He said Judge Piseth charged the man under Articles 61 and 56 of the protected natural areas law.

“The investigating judge decided to detain him on Monday afternoon. I don’t know yet when the hearing will be conducted,” he said.

Mondulkiri provincial Department of Environment director Keo Sopheak said on Tuesday that the suspect had been sent to the court by his officials on Sunday after police arrested him on February 22 in the wildlife sanctuary.

Police seized two motorcycles, some snares, two improvised guns and a dead peacock, he noted.

“Four suspects were hunting and snaring wildlife in the Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary many times, but they were always aware of raid operations in advance and were always on the run.

“Now we have arrested one of them, and we are still hunting for others involved in the breach of the law,” Sopheak said.

Pran Nop, a resident of the Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary, said wildlife hunting and snaring in the sanctuary still happens every day, as police cracked down on just a handful of cases.

Each time his community group is on patrol, they collect snares that poachers set up in the area, he said. The wildlife in the area is rich in animals such as roe deer, banteng, peacocks, red junglefowl and rabbits.

“The wildlife is snared almost every night. Perpetrators rarely snare them in the daytime because the night is quiet and no one sees them.

“On each of our patrols, we collect snares and hand them over to rangers, but such offences continue.

“So, we ask the authorities to increase the prevention of wildlife poaching. If it is not prevented now, the animals will be endangered,” he said.