Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre

Phnom Tamao is a rescue centre rather than a zoo, holding well over a thousand animals confiscated from traffickers and poachers: sun bears and moon bears, elephants, tigers, leopards, gibbons, macaques, otters, pileated gibbons and a large collection of birds and reptiles. Many arrive injured, orphaned or so habituated that release is not possible, and those that can be released are, through programmes run with the wildlife authorities. Enclosures are set in forest across a large site and standards are markedly better than at commercial zoos in the region, though funding has been a recurring problem and parts of the surrounding forest have been under development pressure. Behind-the-scenes tours support the work directly.

What you actually see

• Rescued bears - sun and moon bears confiscated from the trade.
• Elephants and big cats - animals that cannot be returned to the wild.
• Gibbons and macaques - large primate collections in forest enclosures.
• The release programme - explained on the guided tours.

When to go

November to March for comfortable weather; the site is large and walking it in heat is hard. Animals are most active early and late. Weekends bring Cambodian families in numbers.

Honest expectations

This is a rescue centre with the constraints that implies: some enclosures are basic and funding-dependent. It is a large site and covering it means a lot of walking in heat. The story behind most animals here is the wildlife trade, which is not a cheerful subject.

Nearby

Tonle Bati lies north; Phnom Penh is beyond it.