CORRECTION: As far as I know the proper scientific name of
mang lon, the deer found in Vu Quang forest, is
Megamuntiacus vuquangensis Tuoc et al, 1994. Schaller J.
Mammal  77(3):675 (1996) argues that this species should be
considered a species of Muntiacus, or muntjac deer. The
scientist referred to below is John Mackinnon, WWF scientist
based in Hong Kong. Vern

"The Last Mohicans" A precious wild animal in danger

Nguyen Viet Chien

The sao la (pseudoryx nghetinhensis), whose horn looks like
a shuttle,  is half like an ox half like a goat. In the
language of the ethnic minorities, sao la means "shuttle."
It is a shy and nocturnal animal. In May 1992,  on an
excursion to Vu Quang, scientists accidentally found sao la
in a residential area.

Only seven big quadruped mammals were spotted during the
20th century, including sao la and Megannum tiacus (a kind
of large deer) which have recently been traced in Vietnam.
Described as a wonderland untouched by wars and full of
strange species, Vu Quang was set up in 1986 and really
interests nature lovers in the world. Vu Quang Forestry Farm
was operational in 1961 to be in charge of afforestation and
forest exploitation. In 1988. however. afforestation was
halted due to technical difficulties. As more sao la were
found, the (former) Ministry of Forestry disbanded Vu Quang
Forestry Farm, prohibited wood exploitation, and enlarged
the area of the reserve from 16,000 hectares to 60,000
hectares. In fact-finding trips at Vu Quang, scientists
detected sao la's footprints and dung. Six automatic cameras
were set up at the reserve to record facts necessary for a
plan to protect this precious animal species. They were
linked with a trap which created an automatic photograph
when stepped on. The automatic camera system is similar to
the one used in the Ujung Kulon National Park in Indonesia
where scientists collected figures of age, gender and other
physical conditions of Java rhinoceros.

The precious sao la, which survived a 30-year war, is now in
danger of extinction due to illegal hunting. Around Vu
Quang, 30,000 inhabitants live chiefly on planting sugar
cane. However, they still hunt to increase their incomes.
frequently, boars, Megannum tiacus and sao la fall into
their traps. These hunters capture sao la and Megannum
tiacus for food. The teeth of sao la and the skulls of
Megannum tiacus are ground into powder and taken as
medicine. Scientific research on sao la and Megannum tiacus
made them known to the world and their prices increase
whether dead or alive. Some local organisations purchased
sao la and Megannum tiacus for experiments and this made
hunters aware of their value," said Dr. Mac Kinnon. a
foreign zoologist coming to Vu Quang for research.

Surveys showed that last year during the hunting season 400
traps were set in the reserve and about 20 Megannum tiacus
and three sao la we recaptured. To takle this, forestry
authorities banned hunting and established guard posts.
However, violations still continue. In June 1994,
authorities confiscated a five-month-old female sao la
captured by a hunter in a forest outside the Vu Quang
Reserve. Regrettably, this sao la and a male one trapped in
August in the same year later died of respiratory and
digestive diseases. Keeping wild animals alive in captivity
is difficult, especially since research on them is not yet
complete. The death of these sao la is reminder of the
urgency needed in devising a plan to effectively protect
them and their habitat.

Source: Saigon Times July 20-26, 1996 p.18.