Nice video. Thanks for posting. I wish that the zoo world could do something to promote saola conservation. In the absence of having the live animal in front of people I'm not sure how a zoo could get the animal attention - it seems unlikely that most people would sit still to watch a video. Perhaps someone could put together some striking photos in large format and build a cool life-size model for some kind of traveling exhibit.
I'm sure it would be if they knew how to reliably find and capture the animals, but people track them for years in the wild without actually seeing one. There was one individual captured and put in a private zoo in Vietnam, but it only lived for a couple weeks.
If I recall correctly, it was discovered when a skull was seen for sale in a local market and a scientist realised it was something new. It took several months of searching before he eventually 'discovered' the animal. Hix
Thanks for posting, very interesting. I think the large mammal species discovered before the Saola, in 1936 according to the video, but 1937 on wikipedia, was the Kouprey, another rare South-east Asian species, which has not been seen since 1983. The largest mammal species discovered since the Saola appears to be the Giant Muntjac, discovered in 1994, in Vietnam. Indeed, its range even apparently overlaps with that of the saola! If they can still find large mammals in these rainforests, imagine what else is living there...
I believe there may be some doubt as to whether the Kouprey is a genuine species or not. There is only one photo I know of depicting a captive one, in the Paris Zoo. Hix- correct about Saola discovery- it was a set(s) of horns that led them to realise it was an 'undiscovered' species.
the kouprey was described in 1937 (as Bos sauveli) but the type specimen was caught in 1936 by a Dr. Sauvel in Cambodia and sent to Vincennes Zoo (where it lived for five years or so, and is the one in the photograph Pertinax mentions). The species was it seems known to Europeans at least several years before 1936 though and was mentioned in various articles and books. As Pertinax hints, there has always been a lot of debate about the taxonomic status of the kouprey with it swinging both ways (true species to hybrid) With regards to the saola and giant muntjac, there are loads of new species that have been discovered in the Annamite Ranges in the last few decades, largely due to foreign zoologists only getting in there in the last few decades.
Cheers for that info Pertinax & Chlidonias. I know wiki isn't the best source, but it does say that the current consensus is that kouprey are a real species, quoting both genetic and fossil evidence.
Everyday at work i challenge myself to draw attention to lesser known species. however i usually have some kind of relative for the public to view (lord howe island stick insects while talking about phasmids for example). challenge accepted. tomorrow I will include saola in one of my talks. Youd be surprised what impact a bit of passion can have on the the public. can have a much greater influence than interps.
Although not closely related, it looks similar to and may fill a similar ecological niche as the bongo. Hix
Thanks. i was just about to do some research in to what species at the zoo might help get a message accross. bongo is perfect.
Yes, the Kouprey is a real species. The Mainland Banteng turns out to be a hybrid possessing the mtDNA of Bos sauveli. The original confusion of the Kouprey's status came from the original DNA study which only used mainland Banteng but not Javan. When the Javan mtDNA was sampled it was quite different from the Kouprey's. A classic example of nuclear swamping. (currently writing a novel based on the Kouprey, so it's been on my mind a LOT lately)
Excellent idea Jarkari. Thanks for taking up the challenge. The saolas seem like really magical animals. Hopefully we can help them not disappear.
it helps if you know it's a compound of two words, sao and la (and of course if you don't try to pronounce every vowel separately as English-speakers are wont to do)
