Mysterious Saola faces extinction The Saola was discovered in 1992 by a joint team from Vietnam’s Ministry of Forestry and WWF surveying t...

Mysterious Saola faces extinction

The Saola was discovered in 1992 by a joint team from Vietnam’s Ministry of Forestry and WWF surveying the forests near Vietnam's border with Laos.The team found a skull with long, straight horns in a hunter's home that they identified as a new species.

Two decades after the discovery of the Saola – one of the most spectacular species discoveries of the 20th century – the rare large mammal remains as mysterious as ever. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warns that the species, found in the mountains of Vietnam, faces extinction unless protection efforts are intensified.

The Saola habitat is dense forest.

The greatest threat facing the saola comes from illegal hunting. Saola are caught in wire snares set by hunters to catch other animals, such as deer and civets, which are largely destined for the lucrative wildlife trade.

In this undated photo released by the international conservation group WWF, a Saola pauses in the jungle of Vietnam.

A new approach involving forest guards in the Saola Nature Reserve in Vietnam’s Thua Thien Hue Province is delivering positive results. Since February 2011, the newly established team of forest guards patrolling the reserve have removed more than 12,500 snares and close to 200 illegal hunting and logging camps.

In this undated photo released by the international conservation group WWF, a saola pauses in the jungle of Vietnam.

Two decades after the discovery of the Saola, one of the most spectacular species discoveries of the 20th century, the rare large mammal remains as mysterious as ever. World Wildlife Fund warns that the species, found in the mountains of Vietnam, faces extinction unless protection efforts are intensified. More information can be found at www.worldwildlife.org.