Design by Matt Wood by Made Noise. Photography by Souksamlan Laladeth / Saola Foundation
From all of us at the Saola Foundation for Annamite Mountains Conservation, we wish you a joyful holiday season and a wonderful New Year! This years greeting features members of our Scent Detection Dog Team including our remarkable scent detection dogs, Bertie and Norman, who have been trained to detect the scent of potential Saola dung as part of our flagship mission. We are incredibly proud of the work they are doing, and it wouldn’t have been possible without our partners at Working Dogs for Conservation. Together, we are making a real difference for Saola and the Annamite Mountains.
A Few Highlights
As 2025 draws to a close, we’re reflecting on an exciting year of progress.
This year marked a major milestone with the signing of our first Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Lao PDR, laying the groundwork for sustained conservation efforts in Bolikhamxay Province.
Our Annamite Mountains Research and Conservation Field Team have been deep in the forest and collected 174 ungulate dung samples for DNA testing in the first half of the year alone! While no confirmed Saola DNA has yet been detected, our team continues the intensive search for Saola at pace – for the rest of the year and into 2026.
We were also thrilled to attend the World Conservation Congress (WCC) for the first time, proudly representing the Annamite Mountains as the sole voice for this unique region on the global stage. We are thankful to our friends at Synchronicity Earth for enabling this opportunity.
We also welcomed Georgie Bradbury as our Fundraising and Communications Director, Vanvay Chitpaseuth as our Provincial Government of Lao (GoL) Liaison, Xaisavanh Khiewvongphachan as our Data and GIS Manager and Analyst, and strengthened our governance with the addition of two new Board members, Yin Hang and Alessandro Badalotti. We are delighted to have them on board.
Our Strategic Plan for 2025–2027 was finalized, setting clear priorities for our conservation, research, and global engagement. There’s much more happening behind the scenes, so keep your eyes peeled for the next newsletter for further updates on our fieldwork, conservation successes, and organizational milestones.
From the Saola Foundation team pictured here (and those not shown), we’re excited for 2026 and grateful for your ongoing support!
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