This seasonal issue is filled with gratitude, remembrance, and festive gifts that support our conservation work in the Annamite Mountains.
With Gratitude to Marta Falabrino and Fondazione La Lomellina
In 2023, Fondazione La Lomellina provided crucial support that allowed us to resupply our DNA consumables, enabling Saola DNA testing at a critical moment which is an essential step in our conservation work.
We are deeply grateful to Marta Falabrino, the director of the Foundation, for her dedication, vision, and collaboration over the years. Her leadership has helped bring meaningful environmental projects to life, including supporting Saola conservation.
We also extend our heartfelt thanks to Carlo Campanini Bonomi, President and Founder of Fondazione La Lomellina, for his unwavering commitment to protecting some of the earth’s rarest ungulates. Their combined dedication has made a real difference in conserving endangered species and supporting vital conservation efforts.
We wish Marta all the very best in her next chapter and extend our heartfelt thanks to Fondazione La Lomellina for their ongoing commitment to conservation.
In Memoriam: Honoring the Life and Legacy of Mathew Frith
It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Mathew Frith, a cherished supporter of the Saola Foundation and a dedicated donor since 2022. Mathew’s generosity, compassion, and unwavering commitment to conservation have made a meaningful and lasting impact on our work in the Annamite Mountains. Over the past several years, Mathew’s support has helped advance critical efforts to protect some of the world’s rarest and most threatened species.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to Mathew’s family, friends, and all who knew him. The Saola Foundation is truly saddened by this loss, and we are grateful for the legacy of kindness and conservation he leaves behind.
Enter Our Saola Plushie Raffle!
We are raffling one beautiful, handmade Saola plushie generously gifted to us by Quilts & Art, a company with a mission to provide training and meaningful work to the deaf and otherwise disabled victims of Polio. The Saola plushie features unique beaded fabric showcasing traditional patterns hand-woven by a women’s cooperative in A Luoi commune, located in the Vietnamese part of the Annamite Mountains in the province of Hue. Quilts & Art excels in giving people with disabilities a unique opportunity to learn valuable life skills and find employment in a safe environment.
How to enter:
• Donate: Please make a donation of at least $10 here: https://www.saolafoundation.org/donate/
• Confirm Your Entry: Reply to your automatic payment email with the word “Raffle” to info@saolafoundation.org.
• Multiple Entries: You can enter as many times as you wish with repeat donations.
• Last Day for Entries: End of the day on Wednesday 10th December at 00:00 GMT.
• Winner Notification: The winner will be contacted via email on Thursday 11th December.
Please respond within 48 hours to claim your prize. If we don’t hear back from you, we will draw the raffle again.
Gifts That Give Back This Holiday Season
We are delighted to feature Mai Der Vang’s book of poetry, Primordial. Mai Der has generously offered to donate all profits from the book to the Saola Foundation and will cover postage for signed copies for any buyers.
Mai Der Vang’s poetry—lyrically insistent and visually compelling—investigates the collective trauma and resilience of Hmong people, the cultural and environmental repercussions of the Vietnam War, the lives of refugees, and the postmemory carried by their descendants. Primordial turns to the ecological and generational impact of violence, meditating on climate, origin, and fate. With profound care, Vang addresses the plight of the Saola, an extremely rare and critically endangered antelope-like species from the Annamite Mountains, whose last known camera trap image was in 2013. The collection examines the Saola’s relationship to Hmong identity and cosmology, exploring exile, precarity, and survival, written during a difficult pregnancy and postpartum period as urgent reflections on extinction.
Mai Der Vang is the author of Primordial (Graywolf Press, 2025), Yellow Rain (Graywolf Press, 2021), and Afterland (Graywolf Press, 2017). Her honors include the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize from the Academy of American Poets, an American Book Award, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, and the First Book Award from the Academy of American Poets, among others. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim and Lannan Literary Fellowship and currently teaches in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Fresno State while serving as the Endowed Chair in Creative Writing at Texas State University.
Discover the whimsical “Saola Asian Unicorn” fragrance from Sanctuary, a brand dedicated to creating scents for those who care about our planet. This playful perfume blends juicy pineapple with lush greenery and delicate Southeast Asian jasmine, evoking a sense of adventure and joy. Even better, 20% of every sale supports the Saola Foundation and Sanctuary also ensures 100% transparency in ingredients and processes, with a clean formulation that’s as ethical as it is enchanting.
If you find yourself in Lao PDR or planning a trip don’t miss Comma Coffee, an independent roaster with cafés in Vientiane and Luang Prabang. They work directly with small farmers to source the finest beans and ensure their staff earn a living wage while gaining valuable skills. Try their exclusive “Saola Blend”, a medium roast with nutty, chocolate notes, where a portion of sales goes to the Saola Foundation!
