WWF officially announced the discovery of the saola in 1992.
The announcement followed a Vietnamese biodiversity survey in the newly established Vu Quang National Park. On 21 May 1992, researchers found a skull with an unfamiliar pair of long, pointed horns; the team encountered another pair the next day. The animal was soon nicknamed the Vu Quang ox, while “saola” became the common name.
WWF announced the discovery on 17 July 1992, making it one of the most striking large-mammal discoveries of the modern era. The saola was especially remarkable because it was a large, previously unknown bovid found in a region that had already been scientifically explored for many years.
The species was formally described in 1993 as Pseudoryx nghetinhensis. It is the sole living member of the genus Pseudoryx and is restricted to the Annamite Range of Vietnam and Laos. Very few people have observed a living saola, so much of what scientists know comes from specimens, camera traps and local reports. Its rarity has earned it the nickname “Asian unicorn,” though it is not a mythical animal.