A critically endangered Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), or Asian 'unicorn' one of the world’s rarest animals. Huế City has approved a protection project using funds of US$123,296 from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in the city in 2025-26. Photo courtesy of WWF

HUẾ CITY — The central city of Huế has recently approved a protection project for the critically endangered Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), one of the world’s rarest animals, known more commonly as the Asian ‘unicorn’.

The city will be using a total fund of US$123,296 from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) for the project between now and 2026.

The deputy director of the city’s Agriculture and Environment, Nguyễn Đại Anh Tuấn said Huế City had approved the project in early April.

He said the project ‘Voices for Diversity - Safeguarding Saola and Ecosystems for Nature and People’, would aim to improve capabilities and participation among social organisations working in biodiversity conservation and protection of the Saola, while enhancing awareness in the community and stakeholders for protecting other kinds of wildlife as well.

Two rangers check a camera trap in the Saola Conservation Reserve in the district of A Lưới of Huế City. VNS Photo Công Thành

The project also would help contribute to completing the policy on the management and protection of wildlife species, the National Strategy on biodiversity conservation for 2030, he added.

It also targeted ending illegal trading, consumption and trafficking of wildlife species through all of Huế City.

Ranger Tuấn is one of the last conservation officials to have seen a new born Saola and their mother in the wild, during a rescue in A Roàng Village in 1997.

Last year, the city’s people’s committee decided to establish the new Saola Nature Reserve on a total 19,375.55ha area including the current Saola Nature Reserve site of 15,303.39ha and an expansion area of 4,072.16ha.

For the past decades, WWF has worked with Huế and Quảng Nam province in conservation of biodiversity and in particular protecting the Saola. The Bạch Mã National Park in Huế City was selected as the site for the world’s only breeding centre for the elusive animal.

In a report, WWF-Viet Nam said from 2011 to 2021, WWF-Viet Nam and local authorities supported removing close to 120,000 snares from the Huế and Quảng Nam Saola Nature Reserves in central Việt Nam.

A jungle trip in Huế City. Many biodiversity conservation and wildlife protection programmes have been established by the city and international organisations within the protected areas. VNS Photo Công Thành

These reserves are home to several endemic, rare, and threatened species, including large-antlered muntjac (Muntiacus vuquangenis), Trường Sơn muntjac (Muntiacus truongsonenis), Owston’s civet (Chrotogale owstoni), Annamite Striped Rabbit (Nesolagus timminsi), Annamite Crested Argus (Rheinardia ocellata), red and grey shanked douc langurs (Pygathrix spp) and several pheasants (Lophura spp). — VNS