News Animals

Genetics might save the rare, elusive saola — if it’s not already extinct

Environmental DNA could help scientists search for the large deerlike mammals in Southeast Asia

Close-up of a saola, a rare and endangered deerlike mammal with long, slightly curved horns and distinct white facial markings, against a blurred green forest background.

The saola “Martha” was captured in Laos in 1996 and survived for a few weeks in a menagerie. She is the only living saola ever seen by Western scientists.

World Wildlife Fund

By Tom Metcalfe

It’s not looking good for the saola.

If it still exists, it is one of the world’s rarest large mammals — a deerlike creature from the mountainous rainforests of Vietnam and Laos that’s been called “Asia’s unicorn” because of its scarcity.