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Experts believe the species still exists in the wild, but with rising threats from snares in its habitat range placed by illegal poachers, time is running out to save them. With an estimated fewer than 100 left in the wild, the urgency to save the Saolas has been highlighted by the IUCN Species Survival Commission in 2021. A position statement highlights the need for a concerted effort to bring expertise, funding and innovation together in saving the Saola from extinction.
The Saola Foundation is working towards a “One Plan” Approach for the conservation of Saolas, integrating in situ conservation of animals in the wild with ex situ efforts that would be established through the safe capture of wild Saolas to form a conservation breeding programme for eventual re-introduction.
The most critical priority in Saola conservation is to find the remaining animals in the wild. Mandai Nature has been working with the Saola Foundation by channeling support towards this unprecedented search effort. These include a variety of detection methods such as camera trapping and dung DNA analysis. The team faces a daunting task, with only 30 per cent of the Saola’s habitat in the Annamite mountains been surveyed, and much more remains unexplored. Upon detection of wild Saola, intensive field research will be carried out to better understand the Saola’s ecology, behaviour and conservation needs.
The Saola Foundation has been finding innovative ways to get more efficient and effective in detecting Saolas in the wild. With DNA analysis being the only way to identify the animal, progress is underway to develop a rapid test kit to detect Saola DNA on dung samples. A dog detection programme is also being initiated to aid in search efforts for Saola. Once dung is found, the dogs can be incorporated into field searches and immensely increase the tracking team’s ability to cover large search areas.
Beyond search efforts in the field, the Saola Foundation has developed partnerships with the Laos government and various conservation organisations to garner support and endorsement for Saola conservation.
Established in 2017, the Saola Foundation for Annamite Mountains Conservation is a non-profit organisation based in the United States. The Saola Foundation is the only non-profit organisation focused fully on Saola conservation, and conservation of other wildlife of the Annamite Mountains.
