Saola

Hello there! My name is Saola. You might not have heard of me, and that’s okay—I’m very good at keeping secrets. I live deep in the misty, green Annamite Mountains of Vietnam and Laos. My home is a beautiful world filled with thick trees that reach for the sky and cool, rushing streams that carve paths through the forest floor. Some people who have heard stories about me call me the 'Asian Unicorn,' which I think is a little funny because I have two beautiful, long horns that sweep back from my forehead, not one! I am a very shy and quiet creature. For a very long time, my existence was a secret known only to the people who lived in the villages near my forest home. I spent my days hidden away, a silent shadow in the dense green world I call home.

My quiet life changed forever in May of 1992. A team of scientists was exploring my mountain home, learning about all the plants and animals that lived there. During their journey, they visited a local village to talk with the people. Inside a hunter's house, they saw something that made them stop and stare: a pair of horns mounted on the wall. They were my horns, and they were unlike any the scientists had ever seen before! They knew right away that they had found a special animal that was completely new to science. It was a huge discovery! Suddenly, people all around the world were talking about me, the mysterious Saola. It was a strange feeling to go from being a forest secret to a worldwide wonder. I was happy that people were curious about me, but it also meant my peaceful, hidden life was about to become much more complicated.

Being a Saola means living a life of great caution. I am an herbivore, which means I only eat plants. I spend my days munching on delicious ferns and the leafy plants that grow along the banks of the forest streams. I have unique white markings on my face that help me blend into the dappled sunlight that filters through the tall trees, keeping me hidden from view. Even though I am a gentle animal, my world has serious dangers. The biggest threat to me and my family are the thousands of wire traps, called snares, that are set in the forest. Hunters set them to catch other animals for food or trade, but I can accidentally step into one. This is the main reason why my species is now critically endangered. It is very hard knowing these dangers are all around my home, so I have to be extra careful with every single step I take.

Even though I am rarely ever seen—in fact, the last time a special camera trap took my picture was in 2013—my story gives people hope. I have become a symbol of all the amazing, undiscovered wonders our planet holds. Because of me, people are working harder than ever to protect the Annamite Mountains. When they protect my home to save me, they also protect all the other unique plants and animals that live here with me, like rare monkeys and colorful birds. My kind is still out there, hiding in the cool, wet forests, living our secret lives. My greatest wish is that humans will continue to care for these wild places, so that the secret of the Saola can be a story of survival, not just a memory.