In an all-out effort to save one of the rarest mammals on the planet, conservationists in Laos have recruited a pair of good boys to sniff them out.
Mongabay reported that an intense search for the last remaining saola oxen in the wild is underway. The dogs, two spaniels named Norman and Bertie, are lending their snouts to the search in a first-of-its-kind project. Norman and Bertie came from the organization Working Dogs for Conservation.
According to their profiles, Bertie is a "dapper little guy" motivated by affection from his handlers. Norman fearlessly pokes into the densest vegetation on the promise of some reward to play later.
They have their work cut out for them, as they will be covering an area of 300 square kilometers over the next 24 months. The saola ox hasn't been seen in years; possibly as few as 100 individuals remain in the wild.
Saola were only discovered in 1993 and were last caught on camera in 2013. They are sometimes called the "Asian unicorn" for their extreme rarity and distinctive appearance. Little is known about this elusive ungulate beyond its size and gentle nature — it is known locally as "Saat Supphap" ("polite animal").
Unfortunately, saolas are threatened by habitat destruction and snaring. As the World Wildlife Fund notes, snares are among the biggest threats to wildlife in Southeast Asia. There are millions of snares present in the forests, causing massive defaunation and destroying critical biodiversity.
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It is hoped that a few individuals can be found to begin a captive breeding program to offer a lifeline to the species and serve as the foundation for future rewilding efforts once the snares are cleared.
Lorraine Scotson, CEO of the Saola Foundation, explained the urgency of the search: "Even if there are individual saola out there, every day that goes by, those saola are getting older and ultimately beyond breeding age."
Despite the magnitude of the task ahead, there is good reason to be optimistic. Dogs have shown their worth in similar projects. A border collie in South Africa named Jessie unearthed a mole that hadn't been documented since 1936.
There's no sign of saolas in Laos, but the team has learned a great deal from the work, and locals are pitching in to help. With a bit of luck in the search and raising awareness among the community, saolas might just make it after all.
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