PHNOM PENH, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Nine forest rangers were poisoned after eating wild mushrooms during a forest patrol in the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary in northeast Cambodia's Kratie province, said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment on Friday.

Khvay Atitya, who is also an undersecretary of state for the Ministry of Environment, said the incident occurred on Wednesday and all nine officers were sent to a local hospital for emergency treatment.

"As of today, May 15, all of them are out of life-threatening danger," he told Xinhua. "Eight of them have recovered and been discharged from the hospital."

Atitya said the remaining forest ranger is recovering at the Kratie Provincial Referral Hospital.

The Ministry of Environment said that in a bid to increase forest cover, enforce law, and protect and conserve natural resources, rangers are required to patrol deep forest areas where they frequently face natural hazards, confront offenders and encounter various diseases.

The ministry said that currently, more than 1,000 park rangers have routinely patrolled and suppressed forestry and wildlife crimes in 73 protected natural areas across the Southeast Asian country, which covers a total area of more than 7 million hectares.

In the first four months of 2026, they conducted 4,048 patrols and cracked down on 718 natural resource crime cases, the ministry added. ■