REAL Asian Unicorn!! Have you seen this??

[Skeeterdeee]

[Skeeterdeee]

This is really neat (and a little sad). There is an animal so rare they compare it to the unicorn!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39231503?gt1=43001

[Kujacker]

I’ve known the Saola to be called an asian unicorn… not compared to an actual unicorn 😕
And how come whenever a rare creature is found, humans capture it and then it always dies? Ugh. How about we don’t catch them.

[Skeeterdeee]

Kujacker wrote:

I’ve known the Saola to be called an asian unicorn… not compared to an actual unicorn 😕
And how come whenever a rare creature is found, humans capture it and then it always dies? Ugh. How about we don’t catch them.

I meant compared it because of its mysteriousness. I agree, they should’ve just taken a couple pictures of it to learn from, instead of holding it captive for a couple DAYS. I just thought it was a neat looking animal. 🙂

[Kujacker]

I’m sorry if my comment sounded rude, that wasn’t my intention.
The woman in the video compared it to a unicorn. That’s where my comment was directed at.

I just don’t like hearing “rare animal/thought to be extinct animal found and caught today! It later died” stories. I’ve seen my fair share of them, and it makes me slightly annoyed. I just don’t understand why humans think they have the right to capture these animals… especially since they normally die as a result. Why can’t people just be happy that HEY, it’s not extinct. We’ve learned something. But people just want to capture and “study” them or put them in zoos or whatever.
I just don’t understand 🙁

[Anonymous]

We make me sick.

[Katherine]

Wow, this is sad, but very neat as well. I wonder why there are only so few left in the wild?

[PhoenixTears]

Kujacker wrote:

I’ve known the Saola to be called an asian unicorn… not compared to an actual unicorn 😕
And how come whenever a rare creature is found, humans capture it and then it always dies? Ugh. How about we don’t catch them.

Thank you!!! :yes: and :negative: about the situation

“Fate whispers to the wolf, you cannot withstand the storm; and the wolf whispers back, I AM the storm.”

[Jennifer]

eaglefeather831 wrote:

Wow, this is sad, but very neat as well. I wonder why there are only so few left in the wild?

The Saola wasn’t actually discovered ‘by science’ until 1992, and nearly all the sightings of them have been by villagers. The regions they live in are very distant from human settlements or population so there is no knowing how many there are or why there are so few.
Here’s some info: http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Artiodactyla/Pseudoryx_nghetinhensis.html

Fascinatingly there have been other ungulates discovered in this region since 1992; all muntjac species I believe.

Kujacker wrote:

I’m sorry if my comment sounded rude, that wasn’t my intention.
The woman in the video compared it to a unicorn. That’s where my comment was directed at.

I just don’t like hearing “rare animal/thought to be extinct animal found and caught today! It later died” stories. I’ve seen my fair share of them, and it makes me slightly annoyed. I just don’t understand why humans think they have the right to capture these animals… especially since they normally die as a result. Why can’t people just be happy that HEY, it’s not extinct. We’ve learned something. But people just want to capture and “study” them or put them in zoos or whatever.
I just don’t understand 🙁

In this case, it was villagers– not scientists or anyone that would necessarily study it– that captured it. Conservationists were trying to step in to get it released back to the wild but it died before they could.
I wasn’t there but it is entirely possible the villagers didn’t know what it was or that capturing it would cause it harm. Since this has happened, Lao authorities have urged villagers not to capture any Saola, and if they do, immediately release the animal.

Volunteer mod- I'm here to help! Email me for the best response: nambroth at gmail.com
My art: featherdust.com

[WolfenMachine]

Nam, you are so enviably smart 🙂 I have never heard of a Saola. They remind me of Klipspringers-but not as cute (*biased statement there* lol) I think a similar thing happened with the Quagga-it lived in a zoo for less than a year…maybe even a few months before the last female died 🙁

[Jennifer]

WolfenMachine wrote:

Nam, you are so enviably smart 🙂

Oh gosh not really. Only on topics I am really ‘into’, like wildlife or art! And then it’s mostly useless trivia. XD

Volunteer mod- I'm here to help! Email me for the best response: nambroth at gmail.com
My art: featherdust.com

[Kristen]

Jennifer wrote:

WolfenMachine wrote:

Nam, you are so enviably smart 🙂

Oh gosh not really. Only on topics I am really ‘into’, like wildlife or art! And then it’s mostly useless trivia. XD
Eh, we’re all enviable smart at something, probably. When I start talking chemistry, people go all “wow you’re so smart” on me, but when Jen starts talking wildlife and art stuff – my eyes glaze over. Same with Colin (my fiancé) and math.

On topic…. that’s sad that such a rare animal was captured and died as a result. But it’s also true that the villagers probably didn’t know better, either. Or they didn’t think about it. 🙁

[Katherine]

Jennifer wrote:

eaglefeather831 wrote:

Wow, this is sad, but very neat as well. I wonder why there are only so few left in the wild?

The Saola wasn’t actually discovered ‘by science’ until 1992, and nearly all the sightings of them have been by villagers. The regions they live in are very distant from human settlements or population so there is no knowing how many there are or why there are so few.
Here’s some info: http://www.ultimateungulate.com/Artiodactyla/Pseudoryx_nghetinhensis.html

Fascinatingly there have been other ungulates discovered in this region since 1992; all muntjac species I believe.

Kujacker wrote:

I’m sorry if my comment sounded rude, that wasn’t my intention.
The woman in the video compared it to a unicorn. That’s where my comment was directed at.

I just don’t like hearing “rare animal/thought to be extinct animal found and caught today! It later died” stories. I’ve seen my fair share of them, and it makes me slightly annoyed. I just don’t understand why humans think they have the right to capture these animals… especially since they normally die as a result. Why can’t people just be happy that HEY, it’s not extinct. We’ve learned something. But people just want to capture and “study” them or put them in zoos or whatever.
I just don’t understand 🙁

In this case, it was villagers– not scientists or anyone that would necessarily study it– that captured it. Conservationists were trying to step in to get it released back to the wild but it died before they could.
I wasn’t there but it is entirely possible the villagers didn’t know what it was or that capturing it would cause it harm. Since this has happened, Lao authorities have urged villagers not to capture any Saola, and if they do, immediately release the animal.
WOW! thank you for the information! 🙂

[Author]

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