Koh Kong Safari World sought permission from Cambodia's ministry of agriculture to import the primates in January 2003, an official working for the UN's Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) said.

The ministry gave approval but told Safari World, a part of the sprawling Koh Kong International Resort Club near the Thai border, to seek clearance from CITES in Cambodia as well as forestry administration officials, he said.

"They have imported these animals illegally because they did not obtain the permit letters," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "I don't know how those 22 orangutans were imported to the park."

The animals, which arrived at the park popular with Thai tourists in November 2003, probably originated from Indonesia and are being exploited, he claimed.

"The orangutans have been trained to perform kickboxing in order to sell tickets to visitors. They are exploiting the animals... Their conduct is against the CITES and the law," he said.

The forestry administration and CITES in Cambodia wrote to the park in November demanding an explanation and a report on the park's conditions but have not received a response.

"If they won't cooperate with our authorities, we will confiscate the animals," he warned.

Park officials were not immediately available for comment.

The owner of Thailand's unrelated Safari World is currently facing prison after DNA tests revealed his park had smuggled in a portion of its 102 orangutans to use in kickboxing bouts that were banned in August.

The owner had claimed they were obtained through an in-house breeding program.

About 1,000 orangutans are smuggled out of Indonesia each year, including 300 or more through Thailand, according to environmental group Wildlife Friends of Thailand.

Fewer than 30,000 orangutans are estimated to remain in the world and the species, which faces rampant habitat loss due to human encroachment, could become extinct in as little as 20 years.

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