The saola is a wild relative of cattle that lives in the forests of the Annamite Mountains in Laos and Viet Nam. Both sexes have long horns and white facial markings.
Both males and females have two pointed horns that run almost parallel to each other. The face has white markings, and the muzzle has large glands.
Saola became known to science through horns and a skin found during a 1992 survey in Viet Nam. The new species was described in 1993.
Trackers and detection dogs search for candidate dung, which is identified with DNA. An October 2026 foundation report recorded 917 samples tested without a Saola-positive result.
Indiscriminate wire snares are a major threat. A 21 October 2026 update announced renewed funding and a restart of the search, linking identification work with future protection.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Indiscriminate wire snares threaten Saola. The restarted search combines trackers, detection dogs and DNA identification of candidate dung samples.