Rare Fanged Deer Spotted in Afghanistan
Posted on November 1, 2014
A rare fanged deer was spotted in Afghanistan. The deer is a Kashmir musk deer. A research team led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) says this is the first time the deer has been spotted in 60 years. The deer pictured above is a Siberian musk deer, a similar species that lives in Asia.
The deer uses its saber-like tusks to compete with other males during the rutting season. It is listed on the Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss and poaching. It has scent glands that unfortunately attract poachers. The glands are said to fetch as much as $45,000/kilo on the black market. They are worth more by weight than gold.
There were five new sightings of the deer during the WCS survey. These included sightings of a solitary male and a solitary female. There was also a sighting of a female with a juvenile. These were the first sightings since a Danish survey team spotted the deer in Afghanistan in 1948.
The researchers were unable to photograph the Kashmir musk deer during the study. They say the deer were "discrete, cryptic, difficult to spot, and could not be photographed."
A study on the deer was published in the journal Oryx.