Reserve for Asian ‘Unicorn’ Established in Central Vietnam

The government of Vietnam has created a 39,000-acre reserve to protect the elusive saola, a critically endangered two-horned antelope-like mammal known locally as the “Asian unicorn.” The saola, or Pseudoryx nghetinhensis, which is described as a primitive member of the bovine family, was first discovered by the outside world during a survey of the forests of north-central Vietnam in 1992. While wildlife experts say it is unclear how many saolas exist, there are likely no more than a few hundred left in the face of threats from local hunters and poachers seeking their horns. “If no reserve activities are launched now, the danger of the saolas’ extinction is clear,” said Pham Thanh Lam, director of the Forest Bureau in Vietnam’s Quang Nam province. The new reserve is located in the Annamite mountains, along the Vietnam-Laos border. Preservation efforts will include working with local communities to improve economic conditions and minimize hunting. According to the conservation group WWF, no saolas have survived in captivity.