But being non-selective, the snares also trap saola. Just over a decade ago, the saola made headlines round the world. "An increasing number of people going to restaurants and buying splashy meals. It came to worldwide attention in 1992 as the first large mammal to be discovered in over 50 years when surveyors from the Vietnamese Ministry of Forestry and the WWF found skulls of the unknown species in mountain villages. That's extremely difficult to fund and logistically organise," said WWF Asian species expert Barney Long. ", Rare saola caught by villagers and shown to conservationists was thought to be one of only a few hundred left in the wild. 'Asian unicorn' dies after capture in Laos, Indian state to let forest guards shoot poachers on sight, Discovered, wiped out and cloned: the bizarre life cycle of the saola, Australia lists the koala as a threatened species, Saola sighting in Vietnam raises hopes for rare mammal's recovery, 2009 meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but it died in captivity before researchers could reach the village.

Poaching in the Annamite mountains has also reached epidemic levels, and though the saola is not sought after by hunters, the horned beast is nevertheless caught in their snares. Estimates of the current saola population range from 10 to several hundred. The Saola population inhabits as many as 15 different pockets of forest in this area, primarily between 1000 and 3500 feet in altitude. Even in the Annamites region, people who lived there have rarely seen the Saola before, therefore it is assumed that the rest of the world have never heard of this animal. The growth of the country's middle class has driven demand for rare, wild-caught cuisine among the country's middle class.

This is especially prevalent due to the increase in human population size which in turn threatens the natural habitat. As the wild Saola population is incredibly difficult to study, the exact population figure today is unknown, … ; Samoa 2020 population is estimated at 198,414 people at mid year according to UN data.

Poaching in the mountains has been the by-product of economic development in Vietnam, said Long.

No scientist has spotted the saola in person. The Annamite mountains are home to 42 ethnic groups, according to Long, each with their own culture, language, and hunting practices. ; Samoa population is equivalent to 0% of the total world population. Take for instance, a predator who feeds on the Saola. Scientists discovered the animal in the remote Vietnamese highlands, the first large mammal to have been found anywhere in the world in more than half a century.

It is important that we understand if not, at least be aware of the Saola’s behaviour in order to be able to come up with strategies to prevent further population decline. Human Population and Destruction of Habitat, Protection Across Trans-Boundary Landscapes. This antelope-like reclusive species lives in remote regions of the Annamite mountains on the border of Vietnam and Laos - but under 100 may now be left, Available for everyone, funded by readers, Maharashtra government says killing poachers will no longer be considered a crime after eight tiger deaths in the state this year.

The increase of population in these once secluded regions have dire impacts on the natural habitat.

They have also been seen in river valleys at a height of 300 to 1,800 m. These valleys have either evergreen forests or evergreen and woodland forests and also indicates the fact that these species like to live around the edges of forests. Firstly,  the forested areas are cleared for land for these new immigrants and for their agriculture production. The entire population in Vu Quang Nature Reserve is unlikely to be more than 100 animals. Also, roads open up remote areas that were once inaccessible. First published on Mon 21 May 2012 11.03 BST.

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One of the main threats the Saola is facing is the loss of their habitat. The animal resides in very specific and remote pockets of a mountain range Long described as an already "very remote, very steep, very wet, very difficult terrain. This is especially prevalent due to the increase in human population size which in turn threatens the natural habitat. If you're trying to impress your business partners especially around festival seasons, then you take them out for expensive dinners. The habitat of the saola makes the species very difficult to track but also to protect. 21) They prefer the edge zones of the forest, and are believed to move from the mountain to the lowlands during winter (when rainfall decreases).

Dams affect the rivers in these regions by flooding, altering water flow and disrupting the migration and movement of fishes. In one park in central Vietnam, where the WWF has begun to work with community forest guards, 200 illegal hunting camps have been closed and 12,500 snares removed since February 2011. This increase in population has led to migration programmes in which people are moved to remote but accessible areas in the Annamites mountain. The saola is an antelope-like reclusive species that lives in remote regions of the Annamite mountains on the border of Vietnam and Laos, dubbed the Asian Unicorn because it is so rarely seen. It's high-intensity poaching which requires an appropriate response form anti-poaching teams. Poaching in Vietnam and Laos may be driving the "Asian unicorn" to extinction, warns the WWF on the twentieth anniversary of its discovery. A great way to kind of show off and be a status symbol is to eat status meat.". As a result of this, people do not value this animal and therefore little consideration is given when hunters kill these animals or when residents in the Annamite regions destroy the natural habitat for space and agriculture.