Cover photo: Young male kouprey at Vincennes Zoo, 1937, by Georges Broihanne
Kouprey
Bos sauveli
IUCN status: Critically Endangered (possibly extinct)
Threats: Illegal hunting, habitat loss
Size: body mass: 600-900 kg; height at shoulder: 1.7-1.9 m; head and body length: 2.1-2.2 m
The kouprey is one of the world’s most seriously threatened mammal species - indeed, with no confirmed sightings since 1983 it’s possible that the species is already extinct. It’s likely that the kouprey has been rare since being first described to science in 1937 – the population is not thought to have exceeded 2,000 individuals at any point during the 20th century. Little is known about the kouprey, however they can be distinguished from closely related cattle species like banteng by their unusually large dewlaps and tails.
Kouprey means ‘forest ox’ in the Khmer language, and the kouprey was made the national animal of Cambodia in 2004. If still living, the kouprey is likely restricted to Cambodia; however, they previously also lived in Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. The horns of kouprey are a status symbol, and they are also hunted for bushmeat. Intense hunting and disturbance during the Cambodian Civil War is thought to have decimated the population.
More information
IUCN Red List account
Threats: Illegal hunting, habitat loss
Size: body mass: 600-900 kg; height at shoulder: 1.7-1.9 m; head and body length: 2.1-2.2 m
The kouprey is one of the world’s most seriously threatened mammal species - indeed, with no confirmed sightings since 1983 it’s possible that the species is already extinct. It’s likely that the kouprey has been rare since being first described to science in 1937 – the population is not thought to have exceeded 2,000 individuals at any point during the 20th century. Little is known about the kouprey, however they can be distinguished from closely related cattle species like banteng by their unusually large dewlaps and tails.
Kouprey means ‘forest ox’ in the Khmer language, and the kouprey was made the national animal of Cambodia in 2004. If still living, the kouprey is likely restricted to Cambodia; however, they previously also lived in Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. The horns of kouprey are a status symbol, and they are also hunted for bushmeat. Intense hunting and disturbance during the Cambodian Civil War is thought to have decimated the population.
More information
IUCN Red List account