Wildlife – The Saola Working Group

The Annamite striped rabbit (Nesolagus timminsi) is one of the most interesting animals to have recently been discovered by science in this region. Goldish-tan, with dark tiger-like stripes streaked across its body, this is, in my opinion, the most stunning lagomorph in the world. Add to this the fact that nothing is known about the basic ecology of this species and you have an enigmatic animal that captivates the imagination. Prior to its discovery the only striped rabbit know to science was found on the island of Sumatra. There in the deep jungles lives the aptly named Sumatran striped rabbit (Nesolagus netscheri). Although officially described in 1880, this rare nocturnal rabbit is seldom seen, and not much is known about it. For the next hundred plus years it was believed to be the only striped rabbit in the world. Then in the late 1990s the Annamites yielded another biological surprise: a second striped rabbit species. A biologist working in the region first came across the Annamite striped rabbit when he saw captured animals being offered for sale in a food market in a rural town in Laos. Not long after this it was confirmed to exist in Vietnam.

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When I looked through the binoculars I met a pair of almost-human eyes glaring back at me. It was an odd sensation. The eyes were haunting: dark, penetrating, they burned with an intensity that sent a shiver through my body. But it was a shiver of pure pleasure because I was face-to-face with one of the most spectacular primates on the planet: the red-shanked douc langur. As I gazed at the langur, I wondered, yet again, how evolution could have concocted such a fantastic-looking species. Long, white whiskers framed an orange-tinted face, ivory-clad forearms ended in jet-black hands, and velvety legs that blazed a fierce vermillion. It is a creature too incredible, too beautiful, to be real. And yet there it was. For several minutes I admired the doucs as they browsed. Then, with a rustling of branches and leaves, the group moved off, loping long-armed through the canopy. The forest was still again. Huy, an expert on red-shanked doucs and our guide for the day, smiled and suggested that we move on. He said there was another group that lived nearby, and that with any luck, we’d get a good view of the dominant male. I nodded and lowered my binoculars. The truck growled to life and we set off…