Three men were arrested in Mondulkiri province’s Seima Forest yesterday after a police stop uncovered 150 kilograms of illegal deer meat in the car they were travelling in.

According to Meak Vuthy, head of the Forestry Administration’s Keo Seima division, the men had hunted the deer with the intention of selling the meat at a local market.

“Our wildlife numbers are dropping day after day because of hunting,” he said.

Named as Sam Rom, 33, Ngeu Bang, 25, and Khau Dheoun, 29, the three are now due to appear in provincial court on wildlife trafficking charges.

Authorities were yesterday unable to identify the type of deer involved.

The illegal hunting and sale of Cambodia’s wildlife remains a persistent problem.

Wildlife meat continues to be sold openly in some markets, and last month, two people accused of illegally hunting wild animals in Mondulkiri’s Pech Chreada district managed to escape a police raid that turned up wildlife meat, traps and firearms.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, in the first six months of 2015, authorities seized 1,183 kilograms of illegal meat.