PHNOM PENH, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Critically endangered vultures in Cambodia remained on the edge of extinction as the population of the species continued to decline, a conservationist said on Tuesday.

"A total count of 121 vultures was recorded during a June census this year, a slight drop from 129 during a June census last year," Bour Vorsak, Cambodia program manager for BirdLife International, told Xinhua.

The current 121 birds include 20 Red-headed vultures, 66 White-rumped vultures, and 35 Slender-billed vultures, he said, adding that the declining number is due to human pollution, habitat loss, and poaching, among others.

The latest vulture population was released after the Cambodia Vulture Working Group conducted on June 20 a national vulture census at four vulture restaurants at Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary in Stung Treng province, Chheb Wildlife Sanctuary in Preah Vihear province, Sambo Wildlife Sanctuary in Kratie province, and Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary in Mondulkiri province.

Cambodia is home to three vulture species, namely Red-headed (Sarcogyps calvus), White-rumped (Gyps bengalensis), and Slender-billed (Gyps tenuirostris). All are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as critically endangered.

Vultures, as nature's "clean-up crew," play an important role in maintaining the environment by stripping the carcasses of dead animals, which helps reduce the spread of disease, Vorsak said.

In a bid to save this critically endangered bird, the conservationist group has periodically fed the birds with dead domestic cattle and routinely protected their nests and habitats, he said. Enditem

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