Asian 'unicorn,' the twin-horned Saola, was spotted in Laos. Due to its rarity, the animal is likened to the mythical unicorn.
Laotian villagers found and captured the Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) and took it back to their community in August and it died a few days later, a report issued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said.
It is not clear as to why the villagers captured the animal, which they found in the forest held sacred by locals in the remote Xaychamphon District.
Before it died, it was photographed—the first record confirmed since 1999, when automatic camera traps took pictures of the species.
No biologist has ever seen a Saola in the wild, IUCN noted.
"The government of Lao PDR and WCS are to be commended for their rapid response and efforts to save this animal,” William Robichaud, Coordinator of the IUCN Saola Working Group said in a statement.
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