Another reason for the loss of these species is loss in habitat. Humans destroy the forests where saolas live and use them for agriculture and other infrastructures. This either fragments the saola population or reduces the size of their habitat. Fragmentation will also decrease genetic diversity and create issues like inbreeding.
Why are saola going extinct?
Multiple issues have converged to make the Saola one of the world’s most endangered mammals, but all are solvable. Saola is threatened primarily by hunting, rather than habitat loss. The main hunting threat comes from commercial poaching, not subsistence hunting by local people.
You could be thinking “Is saola going quietly extinct?”
Still, the fact that remains that Saola conservation has not yet been attempted in a comprehensive manner. This beautiful animal risks going quietly extinct from insufficient attention. Saola is not specifically targeted by the region’s wildlife trade.
You should be wondering “Why is saola endangered?”
Saola is threatened primarily by hunting, rather than habitat loss. The main hunting threat comes from commercial poaching, not subsistence hunting by local people. In Southeast Asia, most endangered species of wildlife are threatened by targeted offtake for the wildlife trade, either for bushmeat or traditional Asian medicine.
Moreover, can saolas live in captivity?
All known saola in captivity have died, leading scientists to believe that these creatures are unable to live in captivity. The threats The most prominent threats posed to the existence of these rare mammals are hunting and habitat loss.
What is happening to the saola?
The added pressure from rapid and large-scale infrastructure in the region is also fragmenting saola habitat. Conservationists are concerned that this is allowing hunters easy access to the once untouched forest of the saola and may reduce genetic diversity in the future. “Only recently discovered, saola are already extremely threatened.
The main threats which face the Saola are: 1 Restrictive habitat requirements 2 Aversion to human proximity – this is one of the major keys for Saola populations as they like remoteness from human 3 Habitat loss 4 Habitat fragmentation 5 Trophy Hunting More.
Why is the saola so different from other mammals?
The scent glands of the saola are the largest of any living mammals The white markings on the saola’s face represents a symbol for biodiversity. They are very different from any known species and hence a different genus was constructed for it. They are afraid of dogs and when they encounter one, their glands swell and they snort.
How rare is the saola?
Commonly referred to as the Asian unicorn, the saola has rarely been seen alive since its discovery and so is already considered critically endangered. Scientists have categorically documented saola in the wild on only four occasions to date.