When was the saola discovered

Latin name Scientific Name Pseudoryx nghetinhensis. Geographic place Geographic Location Indochina. Physical Description With its unusually long horns and characteristic white markings on the face, the saola is a strong symbol for biodiversity in Lao and Vietnam. The saola has two parallel horns with sharp ends, which can reach 50cm. These are found on both males and females, probably as a means of defense. Since its discovery, it is believed to have rapidly declined in the face of ever-growing hunting pressure.

No formal surveys have been undertaken to determine accurate population numbers, but IUCN estimates the total saola population to be less than , likely to be much less. Saola are distributed in scattered locations in the Annamites, along the northwest-southeast Vietnam - Lao border. In Vietnam, the species is distributed from the Ca River in the north to Quang Nam province in the south, but its exact limits are not clearly understood.

Within this area, distribution is patchy. Breeding The species appears to have a fixed breeding season: in Lao, births take place at the beginning of the rains, between April and June. Gestation has been estimated at about 8 months. For a highly threatened species like the Saola, it is imperative to begin conservation breeding as soon as possible. The governments of Vietnam and Laos have agreed to work together on a Saola conservation breeding program. Though in the short-term, wild Saola may have to enter a conservation breeding program to keep the species from going extinct, the long-term survival of the Saola depends on securing safe areas for them in the wild, which will pave the way for future reintroductions.

Re:wild and partners are working to prevent poaching of any Saola and other animals in specific target areas—a lofty goal. That means ensuring there are no snares in intensively patrolled areas, so that these areas can become a safe haven for rare species such as the Saola, Large-antlered Muntjac, and others.

Re:wild helps mentor and train national conservation leaders and biologists in Vietnam and Laos to ensure that the Annamites will have guardians to protect its species for generations to come. While the Saola is one of the most distinctive and endangered large mammals in the world, it has an image problem—because there are so few images of it!

Since the species is so elusive and comparatively few people are aware of the animal and the urgency of its conservation, Re:wild is working to develop partnerships and raise international attention for the species. Photo courtesy of William Robichaud. Large and medium-sized mammals in the Annamites are threatened by intensive poaching, usually accomplished by the setting of wire snares.

SWG and partners will also use the breeding center to establish the first conservation program for the large-antlered muntjac, which was discovered two years after the saola.

This will be the first organized attempt to breed either species. Saola Working Group The Saola Working Group works collaboratively to conserve Saola in nature, and to leverage Saola as a flagship for conservation of the bio-cultural diversity of the Annamite Mountains as a whole. The SWG was formed in in recognition of the need for urgent, focused and coordinated action to save Saola from extinction. Saola are caught in wire snares set by hunters to catch other animals, such as Sambar Deer Rusa unicolor , Muntjac Deer Muntiacus reevesi and civets, which are largely destined for the lucrative wildlife trade driven by traditional medicine demand in China and restaurant and food markets in Vietnam and Laos.

Since February , the team of forest guards patrolling the reserve have removed more than 12, snares and close to illegal hunting and logging camps. The Saola is an icon for biodiversity in the Annamite mountain range that runs along the border of Vietnam and Laos.

This biodiversity hotspot boasts an incredible diversity of rare species, with many found nowhere else on the planet. Efforts to save the Saola have reached a greater level of urgency since another of Vietnam's iconic species, the Vietnamese Javan Rhino Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus , was confirmed extinct in after the battle to save the last individual was lost to poachers.