News Animals Genetics might save the rare, elusive saola — if it’s not already extinct Environmental DNA could help scientists search for the large deerlike mammals in Southeast Asia The saola “Martha” was captured in Laos in 1996 and survived for a few weeks in a menagerie. She is the only living saola ever seen by Western scientists. World Wildlife Fund By Tom Metcalfe 2 hours ago It’s not looking good for the saola. If it still exists, it is one of the world’s rarest large mammals — a deerlike creature from the mountainous rainforests of Vietnam and Laos that’s been called “Asia’s unicorn” because of its scarcity. But the last living saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) was seen in 2013, in photographs from a motion-triggered trail camera. Even hopeful experts think there are now fewer than 100 still alive. “That number is extremely optimistic,” says University of Copenhagen wildlife geneticist Rasmus Heller. “The real number is probably much lower … and it’s possible that there are actually zero.” Sign up for our newsletter We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.