Saola Tracks #5: Lao New Year Pi Mai, Annual Report

Dear Friends of Saola,

This week, April 14, 15, 16, marks Lao New Year, Pi Mai. By custom, yesterday, the 14th, was the last day of the old year, today is an in between day of ‘no year’, and the third day of the celebration, tomorrow, marks the first day of the new year. We wholeheartedly wish all the best to our Lao colleagues, partners and the Lao members of our Saola Foundation team! May all of them – and all of us – have a prosperous and healthy year ahead – including that most beautiful Lao ‘citizen’, Saola.

A tradition practiced in Lao at this time, to gain Buddhist merit, is to set animals free. We look forward to a Pi Mai in the future when Saolas from a successful conservation breeding program can be freed into safe, secure forest areas of Lao. With your help, we can get there.

On this occasion of the New Year, we are delighted to share with you summary notes of the year past, through our first Annual Report. You can find and read it here. We owe many thanks to Nina Seale, Communications and Engagement Officer at Synchronicity Earth, for her stellar job of design and layout of the report. In 2020 we had only about four months of operation (starting from our launch in September), but with your support we accomplished much, and for that we are very grateful.

Sok dee Pi Mai!

Lorraine Scotson, CEO
Bill Robichaud, President