Why is the saola so difficult to find?

The saola inhabits dense, wet, and steeply graded forests with limited road access, making detection challenging even with tools like camera traps.

What are the main threats to the saola population?

The primary threats to the saola include hunting, particularly from wire snares set for other animals, and habitat loss due to agriculture and infrastructure development.

How are scientists trying to detect the saola?

Scientists are using methods such as analyzing environmental DNA from dung, leeches, and other samples, alongside local knowledge, to confirm the saola's existence.

Home / Environment / Saola Mystery Deepens: Last Sighting 2013, Species Threatened

Saola Mystery Deepens: Last Sighting 2013, Species Threatened

28 Jan

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Summary

Saola, the 'Asian unicorn,' remains undetected since a 2013 camera trap photo.
Dense, wet forests make detecting this elusive bovid incredibly challenging.
Hunting and habitat loss are critical threats, pushing the species towards extinction.

Saola Mystery Deepens: Last Sighting 2013, Species Threatened

The saola, often called the 'Asian unicorn,' remains one of the world's most mysterious and elusive mammals. Despite being a real species, confirmed sightings are exceptionally rare, with the last widely accepted evidence being a camera-trap photo from 2013. As of January 2026, no further conclusive proof has emerged, underscoring the immense challenge conservationists face in locating and protecting this bovid.

This creature inhabits the dense, steeply graded, and wet forests of the Annamite Mountains along the Vietnam-Laos border. These challenging conditions, coupled with limited road access, make traditional survey methods like camera traps unreliable. Furthermore, only a small percentage of its potential habitat has been intensively searched specifically for the saola, leaving much of its range unexplored and its population status uncertain.