The saola, one of the rarest and most threatened mammals on the planet, has been photographed in Vietnam for the first time in the 21st century.
Oh man, I hope those animals bounce back. I am not so confident about that though. There are loads of stereotypes about Asian cultures eating all kinds of animals and those stereotypes are often unjust, especially when applied to entire populations. I will say though that when I lived in Vietnam, I was once invited to eat at a wild game restaurant that happened to be situated just outside the border of a national park. I of course, refused. Traditional medicine and the consumption of certain animals to enhance and augment the health is still something that people participate in, especially those with the means to do so (it can be very expensive) as it is seen by some as a sign of wealth. The government tries to discourage it, as it affects tourism and especially eco-tourism, which in Vietnam has the potential to rival that of Malaysia. This is especially important as the oil production in Vietnam is projected to dry up within the next decade or so and the fisheries are already heavily burdened.