The saola, one of the rarest species in the world, has been captured on film for the first time in the 21st century.
"When our team first looked at the photos we couldn't believe our eyes. Saola are the holy grail for South-east Asian conservationists so there was a lot of excitement," Doctor Van Ngoc Thinh, World Wildlife Fund-Vietnam's Country Director said in a statement. "This is a breath-taking discovery and renews hope for the recovery of the species."
The animal mildly resembles an antelope and has two razor-sharp horns that are approximately 50 inches. The animal is nicknamed the "Asian unicorn" because it is so elusive.
"This is a monumental find and comes at a critical moment in time for saola conservation," Doctor Barney Long, Director, Species Conservation Program, WWF. "It's a huge reward for decades of tireless work by the provincial government who established the saola reserve, community snare removal teams and WWF biologists, said. "Now it's time to double our efforts to recover this iconic species."
The Asian unicorn has not been spotted in Vietnam since the year 1998; and had only been discovered in 1992 after a research team found an unusual skull and horns in a hunter's home. The saola proved to be the first new mammal discovered in half a century.
"Saola are caught in wire snares set by hunters to catch other animals, such as deer and civets, which are largely destined for the lucrative illegal wildlife trade," Dr. Van Ngoc. "Since 2011, forest guard patrols in the CarBi area have removed more than 30,000 snares from this critical saola habitat and destroyed more than 600 illegal hunters' camps. Confirmation of the presence of the saola in this area is a testament to the dedicated and tireless efforts of these forest guards."
The animal is so rare that researchers have not been able to asses its population, but they believe the answer may be as low as in the double digits.
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