Hanoi, Vietnam – The saola, one of the
rarest and most threatened mammals on the planet, has been photographed
in Vietnam for the first time in the 21st century. The enigmatic species
was caught on film in September by a camera trap set by World Wildlife
Fund (WWF) and the Vietnamese government’s Forest Protection Department
in the Central Annamite mountains.
“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,” said Dr. Van Ngoc Thinh, WWF-Vietnam’s
Country Director. “This is a breath-taking discovery and renews hope for
the recovery of the species.”
A cousin of cattle but recalling an antelope in appearance, the
critically endangered saola, dubbed the Asian unicorn because it is so
rarely seen, is recognized by two parallel horns with sharp ends which
can reach 50 inches in length.
“This is a monumental find and comes at a critical moment in time for
saola conservation,” said Dr. 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. Now it’s time to
double our efforts to recover this iconic species.”
The last confirmed record of a saola in the wild was in 1999 from
camera-trap photos taken in the Laos province of Bolikhamxay. In 2010,
villagers in Bolikhamxay captured a saola. The animal subsequently died.
“In Vietnam, the last sighting of a saola in the wild was in 1998,”
said Dang Dinh Nguyen, Deputy Head of Quang Nam Forest Protection
Department and Director of Quang Nam’s Saola Nature Reserve. “This is an
historic moment in Vietnam’s efforts to protect our extraordinary
biodiversity, and provides powerful evidence of the effectiveness of
conservation efforts in critical saola habitat.”
In the area where the saola was photographed, WWF’s Preservation of
Carbon Sinks and Biodiversity Conservation (CarBi) Program has
implemented an innovative law enforcement model in which Forest
Guards
are recruited from local communities, and co-managed by WWF and
Vietnamese government counterparts, to remove snares and tackle illegal
hunting, the greatest threat to the saola’s survival.
“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,” said 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 saola was discovered in 1992 by a joint team from Vietnam’s
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and WWF surveying the
forests of Vu Quang, near Vietnam's border with Laos. The team found a
skull with unusual horns in a hunter's home. Proven to be the first
large mammal new to science in more than 50 years, the find was one of
the most spectacular species discoveries of the 20th century.
Twenty years on, the animal’s elusive nature has prevented scientists
from making a precise population estimate. At best, no more than a few
hundred, and maybe only a few tens, survive in the remote, dense forests
along the Vietnam-Laos border.
The saola is an icon for biodiversity in the Annamite mountains that
run along the border of Vietnam and Laos. The area boasts an incredible
diversity of rare species, with many found nowhere else in the world. In
addition to the discovery of the saola, two species of deer, the
large-antlered muntjac and the Truong Son muntjac, were discovered in
the Annamite’s forests in 1994 and 1997 respectively.
The saola sighting confirms the species’ persistence in Vietnam’s
Central Annamite mountains and will help WWF and partners in the search
for other individuals, and in targeting the essential protection needed.
WWF is also providing alternative livelihood options for communities
bordering the Saola Nature Reserves to help reduce poaching and provide
much needed income to villagers. This work is a critical complement to
law enforcement and protection efforts, and will help wildlife across
the Central Annamites recover.
The latest incident occurred in August 2011 when Greaves, 23, was working on a crayfish trawler in Princess
Charlotte Bay and jumped
into the water to pose for photos with the animal. He later posted images on Facebook and other social media
sites that showed him hugging the dugong, swimming with it and sitting on
its tail.
Last May, Greaves was
fined $4500 after he posted photos and a video showing him
wrestling a crocodile on Hicks Island near Lockhart River. In that incident, which also took place in 2011, a 21-year-old friend by the name of Theodore Peter Hewish also received a fine, this one for $1000, for filming Greaves wrestling the croc.
In the area where the saola was photographed, WWF’s Preservation of
Carbon Sinks and Biodiversity Conservation (CarBi) Program has
implemented an innovative law enforcement model in which Forest 
The saola is an icon for biodiversity in the Annamite mountains that
run along the border of Vietnam and Laos. The area boasts an incredible
diversity of rare species, with many found nowhere else in the world. In
addition to the discovery of the saola, two species of deer, the
large-antlered muntjac and the Truong Son muntjac, were discovered in
the Annamite’s forests in 1994 and 1997 respectively.
A great headline from The Independent today. I don't know if it's a case of intentionally or unintentionally funny. Regardless, here's what it refers to:
