Wild mammals
Funding crisis threatens search for rare Asian unicorn
A conservation group searching for the critically endangered saola in Laos faces financial shortfalls that endanger efforts to find remaining wild individuals.
Reported by Mongabay · · 2 min read
Efforts to locate the saola, a critically endangered tropical bovid often nicknamed the Asian unicorn, are facing severe financial strain in Laos. Researchers have not recorded an official sighting of the species since a camera trap captured an image in 2013. Estimates suggest fewer than 50 individuals remain in the wild, with none living in captivity.
Scientists first cataloged the saola in 1992 within the Annamite Mountains, a range spanning the border between Laos and Vietnam. It represents the only species within its genus and is believed to have changed very little over the past 15 million years. Today, wire snares deployed to trap other wildlife present a major hazard to the surviving population.
During 2025, the nonprofit Saola Foundation launched a targeted search covering 300 square kilometers of remote woodland in Bolikhamxay province, Laos. The field team utilizes local trackers, trained scent dogs, and rapid field DNA testing. However, severe budget limitations have forced the organization to manage its field activities month by month.
Although emergency contributions from several zoos allowed tracking teams to return to the forest in October following the annual rainy season, long-term funding for the project has not been secured. The financial uncertainty comes amid debate among experts regarding whether the saola still exists.
Barney Long, who oversees conservation strategies at Re:wild, expressed doubt about the animal's survival, citing an unsuccessful two-year investigation conducted by WWF-Vietnam. He noted that after 13 years without a record, any surviving individuals would likely be too few to maintain a viable population.
Conversely, Lorraine Scotson, chief executive of the Saola Foundation, maintains that the lack of sightings does not prove extinction. She explained that saolas may exist at densities as low as one individual per 300 square kilometers. Scotson added that halting field work also undermines tracking of other species in the Annamites, a region holding over three percent of global terrestrial vertebrates despite covering less than 0.2 percent of the planet's land area.
Without sustained funding to keep search teams active in the region, conservationists warn that any remaining chance to locate saolas for future captive-breeding programs may be lost permanently.
