Endangered Species Project by Zihan Chen

ENDANGERED Project by Zihan Chen
SPECIES: SAOLA
The Saola
Scientific name: Pseudoryx nghetinhensis
I chose the Saola because they are fascinating animals
that I thought would be good to do my project on.
The Saola often called the Asian Unicorn was first
discovered in 1992, they are one of the world's rarest
and least sighted mammals. They have been given the
name the "Asian Unicorn" due to how rare they are and
how hard it is to find one. The Saola is mainly brown
with distinctive white markings on their head. They
have two sharp horns that can grow up to 50 cm in
length. Saola reach around 90cm in length and 80 cm in
height, weighing between 80-100kg.
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Behaviour
Since the Saola have only been confirmed sighted on four
occasions due to how endangered they are, we do not have
much information on their behaviour.
They are thought to be diurnal meaning they are most active
during daylight. They live a mostly solitary life tending to avoid
interacting with other animals. Male Saola are more territorial,
and they roam around much more compared to the female
Saolas.
Saola are also herbivores that mainly feed on plants such as
leaves from trees and bushes, grass, berries and fruits. They tend
to be always near a source of fresh water such as rivers or
mountain streams.
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Habitat
Saola strictly live in the Annamite Mountains of
Vietnam and Laos. They like to live in the wet
evergreen forests and are thought to rely on large
areas of tropical terrain. Most of the information
we know about the Saola are from a few camera
images, capture records and information from the
local villages.
The image to the right highlights the habitats of
Saola.
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Reasons for endangerment
The Saola is listed as critically endangered on
the IUCN (Union for Conservation of Nature).
The threats to the Saola include:
1. Hunters hunting Saola for their horns.

The horns are considered a trophy in
Vietnam.
2. Snares set up by local farmers that

were hoping to catch other animals like
wild boars for food.
3. The deforestation of their home are

another significant threat to them. The
growing human settlements in the
mountains drive the Saola out of their
habitats.
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Population and conservation
efforts The population of the Saola are estimated to be less
than 750 but it is likely to be even less at around 250.
The Saola have a decreasing population trend. Currently
no Saola are in captivity.
There are two main organizations that are working to
conserve the Saola population. The Saola Foundation
and the Saola Working Group. These two organizations
main priority for helping conserve the Saola's is finding
the remaining animals left. After finding the remaining
Saolas, the organizations will provide a safe habitat for
them to live in.
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Researching the Habitat
The Saola is found in the Annamite mountains between Vietnam and Laos. The Annamite mountains are a mountainous
jungle that sits on the border of Vietnam and Laos. The region is a subtropical/ tropical moist environment which is full of
evergreen and deciduous woodlands. Saola's are thought to live in the mountain forests during the wet seasons and move
down to the lowlands during winter. Other species that live in the Annamite mountains include the Javan rhino, Crested
Argus, Douc Langur and the Vietnamese Ginseng.
Threats to the habitat include the deforestation of its trees for purposes such as building roads and settlements for the local
people. The infrastructure development underway by the government in attempts to reduce the local poverty is causing
damage to the Annamite mountains and destroying the habitats of the species that live there.
The habitat is important for not only the Saola but for all the local species because the environment has all the conditions
that the species need to survive. So, without their habitat their population will significantly decrease and might even cause
the species to entirely go extinct.
The end of my
•Sources:
• https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/saola
project
• https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/wildlife_practice/profiles/mammal
s/saola/
• https://a-z-animals.com/animals/saola/
BY Zihan Chen
• https://www.worldlandtrust.org/species/mammals/saola/
• https://www.saolafoundation.org/
10/18/2024 8

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ENDANGERED Project by Zihan Chen

1. Hunters hunting Saola for their horns.

2. Snares set up by local farmers that

3. The deforestation of their home are

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