Parrots are prey animals which means that other predators in the wild, such as hawks or snakes, are looking to make them into a meal.

To avoid predators, they will either fly away or defend themselves with their powerful beaks. They are extremely vulnerable to trapping and may also be persecuted by humans in places where they are perceived as pests because of the damage they can do to crops.

If threatened, a macaw will fly away. If it’s unable to fly, it will protect itself by biting with its beak, pushing with its feet, scratching with its claws, and swatting with its wings. One other defense macaws have is their feathers.

The saola are herbivores, so they feed on plants available to them in the forest. Although tigers pose a threat to the saola, their greatest predators are humans, who hunt them for their horns. It is because of illegal hunting and destruction of the forests they live in that the saola are at a risk of becoming extinct.

In the north of their range, saola are hunted for the horns which have become prized trophies. WWF’s work to protect the saola focuses on research, community based forest management, capacity building and law enforcement strengthening.

Often called the Asian unicorn, little is known about the enigmatic saola in the two decades since its discovery. None exist in captivity and this rarely-seen mammal is already critically endangered.

750 saola

Mating season of saola overlaps with season of monsoons. It takes place from February to March in Vietnam, and from April to June in Laos. Pregnancy lasts between 8 and 9 months and ends with one baby (calf).

To save saola from extinction, we must rescue surviving individuals and provide a protected habitat for them. The last saola must be found, caught and transferred to captive breeding facilities located within the range countries. The first facility is currently being built in Vietnam (10).

8 to 12 years

Ecosystem Roles Not much is known about the role saola play in the ecosystem. Since there are few saola, they probably do not greatly impact the surrounding vegetation. Although they provide potential prey to carnivorous mammals, because they are so rare it is unlikely that saola are important in local food webs.

“The Saola is the flagship species of the Annamite Mountains; saving it will also help save countless other endemic and threatened species across these special mountains. It is sad that the Saola is now so threatened with extinction that they have to be caught to keep them safe and help them breed.

10 of the world’s most endangered animals

• Javan rhinoceros. An older Vietnamese stamp illustrates the Javan rhinoceros (Shutterstock)
• Vaquita.
• Mountain gorillas.
• Tigers.
• Asian elephants.
• Orangutans.
• Leatherback sea turtles.
• Snow leopards.