**NEWS FROM WCS**

CONTACT: MARY DIXON: (1-347-840-1242; mdixon@wcs.org)

SCOTT SMITH(1-718-220-3698; ssmith@wcs.org)

STEPHEN SAUTNER: (1-718-220-3682; ssautner@wcs.org

Preah Vihear Province, Cambodia, Nov. 16, 2015 - The following statement was released by the Wildlife Conservation Society concerning the murder of two conservation heroes on Nov. 7th.

The local authorities have arrested several individuals since the murders. Here is an update on the incident from Ross Sinclair, Director of WCS Cambodia:

“We are disturbed about media reports citing military involvement in the killing last Saturday of two Royal Government of Cambodia partners Sieng Darong, a Forestry Administration ranger and Sab Yoh, a police officer, killed on November 7 in the Preah Vihear Protected Forest while they were bravely patrolling to stop illegal logging and poaching.

“We are encouraged by the swift action by local authorities as they investigate these murders and make arrests. We applaud the government of Cambodia for assigning high-level investigators to this case, along with national police.

“WCS, along with our NGO and government partners, are currently undertaking a review of our operations in this landscape. Once completed, we will support intensifying efforts to destroy the illegal logging networks which are wiping out the forests and terrorizing local communities.

“We are committed to ensure that the murders of Darong and Yoh are honored by the prosecution of those who killed them and by working to ensure the illegal logging networks are dismantled and the forests and wildlife are protected."

Background:

On Nov. 7, Darong, 47, and Yoh, 29, were gunned down by cold-blooded killers with high powered weapons as they slept during an overnight patrol tracking illegal loggers and poachers in the Preah Vihear Protected Forest, near Robonh village in northwestern Cambodia in the Choam Khsan district. Darong and Yoh were on patrol with two others. One member of the team escaped while another was wounded but is recovering well. Before Darong and Yoh were executed, their team had a few hours’ earlier confiscated chainsaws from an illegal logging site. After the raid, the team remained in the area to continue their investigation.

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WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society)

MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in nearly 60 nations and in all the world’s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: newsroom.wcs.org Follow: @WCSNewsroom. For more information: 347-840-1242.