A critically endangered white-rumped vulture has been photographed inside a Cambodian wildlife sanctuary for the first time in ten years. The bird, once common across Southeast Asia, had not been recorded in Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary since 2016.
A rare sighting in eastern Cambodia
The white-rumped vulture was captured on camera by a team from NatureLife Cambodia during a routine biodiversity survey in Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary, a protected area in Mondulkiri province in eastern Cambodia. The sanctuary spans more than 2,500 square kilometers of dry forest and is home to elephants, leopards, and many bird species. Local conservation staff spotted the vulture perched in a tall tree near a seasonal stream. They confirmed the sighting through photographs and field notes.
Why the return matters to local conservationists
White-rumped vultures have suffered severe population declines across Asia. The species is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. In Cambodia, the birds have vanished from many of their former habitats due to poisoning, habitat loss, and a shortage of food. The vulture feeds exclusively on carrion, and its presence signals a healthy ecosystem with enough large animals to sustain it. For local conservation workers, the return of this single bird offers a rare piece of encouraging news after years of worrying surveys.
A decade of absence and a single photograph
The last confirmed sighting of a white-rumped vulture in Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary was in 2016. Since then, no individuals had been recorded despite regular monitoring. The recent photograph, taken in July 2026, shows an adult bird with its distinctive white rump patch and bare head. Conservationists say the bird may have wandered from a nearby population in the Mekong floodplain or from protected areas in neighboring Vietnam. They do not yet know if the vulture is a lone traveler or part of a small group that has moved into the sanctuary.
What this means for the species
The reappearance of a single vulture does not signal a population recovery. But it does show that Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary still offers suitable habitat for these birds. Conservation groups in Cambodia continue to run vulture feeding stations and anti-poisoning campaigns to protect the remaining individuals. The sighting gives them a new data point and a reason to keep monitoring. For now, the white-rumped vulture remains one of the rarest birds in the region, and its return to this corner of Cambodia is a small but notable event in a long struggle to keep the species from disappearing entirely.
