Scavengers dining out on NGO's tab

Photo by: Jonathan Eames

The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 07 September 2009
Tracey Shelton

White-rumped and slender-billed vultures feed at a vulture "restaurant" in northern Cambodia. These eateries are part of a Wildlife Conservation Society project that provides a safe food source to the endangered birds while aiding the monitoring of vulture populations. As Saturday marked the first International Vulture Awareness Day, Cambodia recorded an increase in vulture numbers despite their rapid decline elsewhere. Cambodia remains one of the last strongholds for several critically endangered vulture species.

Gambling on fish puts bettors in hot water

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 07 September 2009
Heng Chivoan

Municipal police broke up a fish-fighting and -betting ring in Chamkarmon district on Saturday, arresting 23 people and confiscating 72 fish. In a typical fight, two Siamese fighting fish - native to the rice paddies of Cambodia - are placed in one jar, prompting a mutual attack. The victor is declared when one retreats to the jar's perimeter, the other in hot pursuit. The activity becomes illegal when the owners of the fish bet on the outcome. Municipal Police Chief Touch Naruth said the 23 men were briefly re-educated and then released. "It is not as serious as card-playing, but it is still gambling," he said.

Feeding the dead

Photo by: AFP

The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 07 September 2009
AFP

Cambodian women pray while offering food for dead loved ones during the first day of the Pchum Ben festival in Phnom Penh early Sunday morning. Rituals during the 15-day festival include prayers and offerings to ancestors, pagoda visits and the preparation of meals for local monks.