Cambodia Wildlife Alliance Visit

After visiting the genocide museum and the Killing Fields the Wildlife Alliance Rescue Centre was a shot of positivity in the psyche. First this place is not a zoo its a rescue centre for animals that have been caught for the pet trade or injured by poachers. Second the cost of the tour contributes to the upkeep of the Wildlife Alliance Rescue. Emma our guide and the rest of her team are doing a grand job. We did the behind scenes tour at the centre and it was brilliant right down to our delicious Cambodian Lunch we ate outside.

To date this is the highlight of my visit to Cambodia. It was inspirational to see how animals are being saved after being abused, tortured or caught in snares. One elephant caught in a snare had lost its foot. The story behind how the staff and vets created its prosthetic foot was amazing. The elephant now is able to walk and its quality of life from when it had to walk on the stump has greatly improved. It was also inspiring to see the animals being well cared for by wonderful compassionate staff. The monkeys, leopards, tigers, otters, elephant and other animals were all being well looked after. It also was nice to hear about the release back into the wild of some of the monkeys and other animals. Some animals can never be released back into the wild due to injuries both mental and physical.

If you have some time in Phnom Penh and want to get off the tourist trail then I recommend the behind the scenes tour at the Wildlife Alliance Centre. It is not all doom and gloom for the wildlife in Cambodia as can be seen at the centre. I enjoyed seeing the park and what a positive influence it is having on the wider community.