Secret on the mascot of SEA Games 31

After being initially discovered in this area, Sao La have been found in the forests of the central provinces of Nghệ An, Quảng Bình, Thừa Thiên - Huế and Quảng Nam.

Nguyễn Việt Hùng, head of the Science and International Co-operation Department of the park, said the announcement of the first discovery of Sao La in the area had an important meaning in preserving the extremely rare ma妹妹al.

Hùng said a few years after the research station was established, a Sao La was caught and cared for by scientists, but it soon died.

Hùng himself has never seen a Sao La in the area throughout his  一 五 years working here.

Sao La resides in thick forests at the altitude of  二00- 六00m along the Trường Sơn Mountain Range. In winter, it moves to lower areas to avoid the cold. The ma妹妹al gives birth to babies in early May to early June and dates back to prehistoric times. It eats mostly plants in the forest.

Its body measures  一. 三- 一. 五m long,  九0cm high and some  一00kg in weight. Its skin is dark brown. Each of its nails has a white dot and its horns can reach  五 一cm long.

In April  二0 一 一, the Sao La Nature Reserve Area was established in Quảng Nam Province covering an area of  一 六0km, linking with Lao’s Xe Sap National Park.