5th September 2023
Dear Friends of Saola,

We are delighted to introduce and welcome Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong (OPCFHK) as the newest member of our esteemed Saola Gold Circle. The Saola Gold Circle honors supporters who donate at least $50,000 within one year to the Saola Foundation’s conservation efforts. Ocean Park’s mission is to advocate for and contribute to effective conservation of wildlife in Asia, and their membership in the Saola Gold Circle is a testament to their rock-solid commitment to this mission. We are so very grateful that they have now extended their support to Saola, with a recent grant of US$50,150 (HK$ 393,500). To delve deeper into OPCFHK’s remarkable work, explore their website here.

Membership in the Saola Gold Circle brings some exclusive benefits, such as special progress updates, the option for a field visit with the project team in Lao PDR, and a chance to name some of the tracked Saolas. To learn more, please see here. 

We extend heartfelt gratitude to our other Saola Gold Circle members, Beauval Nature, Synchronicity Earth, Mandai Nature and the Liz Claiborne Art Ortenberg Foundation. We are about to launch the intensive Saola search, and we could not have come this far without their faith and support. Thank you!

Progress Update:

Earlier this year, Ms. Vatsana Chanthavong, Leader of the Saola Foundation’s Detection Dog Team, visited the US for intensive dog handling training with our partners Working Dogs for Conservation and Chiron K9. Back home in Lao PDR, she has been extending this training to her Lao team of detection dog handlers.
 

Vatsana training the dog handling team at Vientiane Dog Paradise in Lao PDR.

Bertie and Norman with eye protection goggles! Photo: Paul Bunker 

In addition, our detection dogs have some snazzy new equipment to protect their eyes when they are working in the dense forests of the Annamites. 

Stay tuned for an upcoming Q+A with Aimee Hurt from Working Dogs for Conservation and Paul Bunker from Chiron K9 as they recount their experiences in Lao PDR, and how their dogs will help us find Saola.

July saw the Saola Foundation field team searching for evidence of a new (i.e., undescribed by science) species of leaf monkey in the genus Trachypithecus, which we believe (based on previous sightings by our Technical Director, Rob Timmins) inhabits an area of limestone karst close to our Saola search area. The aim of the expedition was to photograph the animal, as a first step in documenting it scientifically. This work aligns with the Saola Foundation’s mission to ensure that our team and our work benefits wildlife of the Annamite Mountains beyond Saola. The expedition was funded by a grant from Wroclaw Zoo Foundation DODO and implemented in partnership with the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, National University of Laos.

Alas, the team met with some considerable logistical obstacles – torrential rains, floods, and landslides. Both the wet and windy conditions combined to create a foggy effect, which subsequently reduced the likelihood of successful detection. These trials anticipate the forthcoming search for Saola in the Annamite Mountains, an environment reserved for the resolute. The experience honed the team’s skills and fortified their dedication and commitment to find and save Saola. In the upcoming year, when the field conditions improve in this area, they will be back on the trail of this mysterious primate…
 

The expedition team, stalled, examines a flooded stream cutting
the road due to the continuous heavy rain.

Photos: All rights reserved © Souksamlan Laladeth / Saola Foundation 2023