Status

Saola is listed as Critically Endangered (the last stop before extinction) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.  The Zoological Society of London includes Saola in its global Top 100 (ranked at #44) of Evolutionarily Distinct & Globally Endangered (EDGE) species.

Due to Saola’s elusive nature and rarity, and the rugged, remote and densely forested terrain in which it lives, precise population estimates have not been possible.  Based on information from local villagers, the status of other large mammals in its range, and the frequency with which the animal is photographed by camera traps, best estimates are that, at most, no more than a few hundred survive (in multiple, isolated subpopulations), and the number might be down to just tens of individuals. Given that there are no Saola in captivity, it may be the world’s most endangered land mammal.

In fact, few animals in the world, if any, share Saola’s combination of four attributes:

1. High genetic and biological distinctiveness; in essence, there is only species of Saola in the world – and therefore much irreplaceable biodiversity rests within the genes of one Saola;
2. Degree of endangerment (Saola is at higher risk of global extinction than, for example, tigers, elephants and all species of rhinos).
3. Paucity of conservation attention, compared to many other better known species.
4. The ‘conservation flagship’ of a global biodiversity hotspot, the Annamite Mountains.

Consequently, for those wishing to make a significant, incremental contribution to conservation of the earth’s biodiversity, among species Saola is a highly compelling focus for attention.