Wild Saola Conservation Emergency

The saola is one of the world most critically endangered mammals, with virtually no individuals in captivity and a wild population facing existential threat from snares.

Key Facts

The saola was only discovered by science in 1992 in the Annamite mountains of Vietnam and Laos
No saola has been held successfully in captivity and none have been photographed since 2013
Snares set for other wildlife in massive commercial bushmeat operations are the primary threat
The saola may number fewer than a few hundred individuals in fragmented forest habitat
Snare removal operations have removed over 150,000 snares from saola habitat in recent years

Welfare Considerations

Saola caught in snares experience entrapment stress and physical injury before death or rescue. Given their extreme rarity, each individual death represents an irreplaceable loss. The welfare of a species on the edge of extinction becomes inseparable from conservation urgency. Snare removal is simultaneously a welfare intervention for individual animals and a conservation intervention for the population. Urgent investment in systematic snare removal is the most direct welfare action available.

What You Can Do

Donate to Saola Working Group and organisations conducting snare removal in the Annamites
Support WWF and Wildlife Conservation Society programmes in Vietnam and Laos
Raise awareness about the saola as one of the world most imperilled mammals
Advocate for funding for systematic snare removal across saola range countries
Support community-based conservation that provides alternatives to snaring