Prek Toal Bird View
Flooded forest tower over a globally vital waterbird colony, reborn after egg poachers became its guardians.
Location
About this audio guide
The guide to Prek Toal Bird View, in the flooded forest of the Tonle Sap near Siem Reap, opens with the low clatter of thousands of waterbirds and the story behind it: a 2001 seizure of poached cormorant eggs that led conservationists to hire the very villagers who had been raiding the nests. You'll hear from one of those men, Yim Samat, about turning from egg collector to ranger, and from researchers still tracking the colony's fortunes today. It follows seven globally threatened species that nest here, and a warning that the recovery is still fragile. Best heard from the tower before midday, while the trees are still crowded with nests.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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