{"id":141771,"date":"2025-05-29T15:56:12","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T15:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/141771\/"},"modified":"2025-05-29T15:56:12","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T15:56:12","slug":"genetics-might-save-the-rare-elusive-saola-if-its-not-already-extinct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/141771\/","title":{"rendered":"Genetics might save the rare, elusive saola \u2014 if it’s not already extinct"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s not looking good for the saola.<\/p>\n

If it still exists, it is one of the world\u2019s rarest large mammals \u2014 a deerlike creature from the mountainous rainforests of Vietnam and Laos that\u2019s been called \u201cAsia\u2019s unicorn\u201d because of its scarcity. But the last living saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) was seen in 2013, in photographs from a motion-triggered trail camera. Even hopeful experts think there are now fewer than 100 still alive. \u201cThat number is extremely optimistic,\u201d says University of Copenhagen wildlife geneticist Rasmus Heller. \u201cThe real number is probably much lower \u2026 and it\u2019s possible that there are actually zero.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sign up for our newsletter<\/p>\n

We summarize the week’s scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.<\/p>\n

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\n]]><\/p>\n

A new genetic study of saolas could help the animals survive. Saolas became known to science in 1992, through trophies in the homes of subsistence hunters in Southeast Asia\u2019s rugged Annamite mountains (called the Truong Son in Vietnam and the Sai Phou Louang in Laos.) The research used DNA from 26 individual saola hunting trophies to establish a \u201creference genome\u201d for the species \u2014 the first complete saola genome ever derived<\/a>, Heller and colleagues report May 5 in Cell.<\/p>\n

As well as revealing new details of the animals\u2019 ancestry, the reference genome could better help locate saolas through environmental DNA<\/a>, genetic material in cells shed into waterways and other parts of their habitats.<\/p>\n

And it shows there are two populations of saolas that diverged between about 20,000 and 5,000 years ago \u2014 possibly when their habitats were splintered by changes in climate. The researchers estimate that 12 saolas will be needed for a captive breeding program, and the study sets out how mixing these two genetic populations could help them avoid extinction. \u201cWhat we\u2019ve done is to quantify the benefits of mixing them together,\u201d Heller says.<\/p>\n

Saola samples<\/p>\n

Researchers examined DNA from 26 saola hunting trophies in Vietnam and Laos and found the animals had come from two distinct populations (blue and orange dots). The purple shading indicates the saolas\u2019 expected range.<\/p>\n

\"MapG. Garcia-Erill\u00a0et al\/Cell\u00a02025G. Garcia-Erill\u00a0et al\/Cell\u00a02025<\/p>\n

Several of the study authors are based in Vietnam, including biologist Minh Le at Vietnam National University in Hanoi. Le helped collect the saola samples, and stresses that traditional hunting with snares along animal trails now threatens several species. \u201cNot just saola, but also predators like tiger and leopard have been virtually extirpated in much of the Annamites,\u201d he says. \u201cOther species will follow soon if immediate conservation measures are not implemented.\u201d<\/p>\n

Le also notes that while recent surveys for saolas in Vietnam have been negative, more encouraging signs could come from Laos, where the U.S.-based Saola Foundation is working to locate and conserve the animals.<\/p>\n

The foundation\u2019s chief executive, Lorraine Scotson, says conservationists in both countries support the search for saolas, but her group has determined the best chance of establishing a breeding program right now is in Laos. \u201cOur hope is to broaden our search to other parts of the saola\u2019s range as soon as resources permit,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Rob Timmins, the foundation\u2019s technical director in Laos, says the group is dedicated to ensuring the survival of saolas through a breeding program, even if there prove to be only a few founder animals left.<\/p>\n

Sponsor Message<\/p>\n

\u201cMauritius kestrels have recovered from the brink of extinction on the basis of just four founders.\u2026 Galapagos giant tortoises have recovered from 15 founders\u2026. California condor from 23 individuals,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Timmins is one of the few who has seen a living saola<\/a> \u2014 a female dubbed \u201cMartha\u201d who survived captivity for a few weeks in Laos in 1996. Timmins has since scoured both Vietnam and Laos for traces of them and may have spent more time in saola habitats than anyone else. <\/p>\n

The American biologist Bill Robichaud, a champion of saola conservation who has often collaborated with Timmins, also saw Martha in 1996 \u2014 to date, the only living saola ever seen by Western scientists. \u201cI realize now what a great gift and privilege that was,\u201d he says. \u201cWho knew back then she would be the only one?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s not looking good for the saola. If it still exists, it is one of the world\u2019s rarest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":141772,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3846],"tags":[267,70,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-141771","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-genetics","8":"tag-genetics","9":"tag-science","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114591943628982330","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}