Prime

Minister Hun Sen presents a Medal of Sahametrei (gold medal) to Hunter Weiler, Cambodia

program director of Cat Action Treasury (CAT), in recognition of exceptional contributions

to wildlife conservation and forestry sector reform since 1998. Other medal recipients

at the ceremony were Joe Walston, country director, Wildlife Conservation Society,

and Bill Magrath, head of the World Bank forestry program.

CAT helps the government's Wildlife Protection Office manage a network of locally

recruited rangers in the Cardamom Mountains and Mondulkiri. The rangers are former

tiger and elephant hunters who now monitor the status and distribution of large mammals,

watch for poachers, and support forest management. CAT is funded by grants from the

US Fish and Wildlife Service and the EXXON-Mobil Save the Tiger Fund.