A Sad Fate For This Organism But It May Give Hope For Others

Image from BBC News here.

This Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) was captured by villagers in Laos in the middle of August this year. They nicknamed it the “Asian unicorn” even though it has two horns instead of one. These animals are extremely rare and have never before been seen by anyone in the wild or in captivity. The only information we have about this mysterious animal was gotten from photographs taken by local villagers.  It is believed to live in the Annamite Mountains of Laos and Vietnam and this is where this adult male was found. It was brought back to the village where villagers took photos of it and notified the authorities. The Bolikhamxay Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office arrived in the village too late and the Saola unfortunately died as it was weak from its capture. A spokesperson however insists that although the death of the Saola is unfortunate, at least it confirms where the animal still lives so that conservation efforts can be strengthened. The carcass of this animal was taken back to the labs for further analysis. Once more information has been gathered on the biology of this species, it will be easier to conserve it and maybe even take some into captivity where breeding programmes can be implemented.

The Saola was delared a new species in 1992 after it was found in Vietnam and its DNA was analysed. Although it looks very much like an antelope, it is thought to be more closely related to cattle. The IUCN red list of threatened species lists the Saola as critically endangered and it is thought that the number surviving may only be 24-100. The last time any of these animals were seen was in 1999 when automatic camera traps photographed one in Laos.  The Laos authorities have now urged other Laotian villagers not to capture any Saola due to the rareness of the species. Awareness of the species needs to be raised in the local areas to prevent any more deaths from occurring although it is still unclear why villagers captured this specimen in the first place.