Cultures and Religions of the Himalayan Region

Lucinda Kanczuzewski
Kettering High School, Detroit, MI
Endangered Species in the Himalayan Region

Mammals

Birds

Reptiles

Amphibians

Maps

Musk Deer

The Himalayan musk deer is a small deer that lives on the eastern and southern edge of the Tibetan Plateau and on the southern slopes of the Himalaya. It lives at elevations of 7250 to 14,200 feet in alpine forest and areas of sparse vegetation. It is classified as near-threatened by the IUCN. It is the most primitive of deer, positioned somewhere between a deer and an antelope. Unlike other deer species, it has long canine teeth that extend out side the mouth of the male. It is about three feet long, and stands about twenty inches tall. It weighs between 24 and 40 pounds.

The deer has a coat of brittle, grey-brown hair, with a wide vertical pale yellow stripe running between the throat to the chin. It has no antlers. The hind legs are almost one-third longer than the front legs, causing the rear of the animal to be 4 inches higher than the shoulder.

Breeding takes place in November to December, and young are generally born in May to June. A Himalayan musk deer usually gives birth to two fawns, which she weans at 3 to 4 months. After birth, the fawns hide in secluded areas, and have contact with their mothers only when feeding. Himalayan musk deer are active between dusk and dawn, much like their deer counterparts in the United States. Despite harsh weather conditions in the winter, it does not migrate. When startled, it flees using giant leaps that can measure up to 19 feet, over three times its own body length.

This deer is sought by poachers who kill the animals to harvest the musk gland located in the abdomen of the male. The musk produced by the Himalayan musk deer is used in the production of perfume. It is also valued for its medicinal properties in Asian folk medicine. On the international market, a kilogram is worth up to $45,000. To get a kilogram, a hunter must kill forty deer, as each deer yields about 25 grams of musk. Most hunters kill the animals to remove the entire sac, but the musk can be extracted from live animals. Fortunately for the survival of the musk deer, the Chinese have recently developed a technique for easily harvesting the musk from captive deer. Hopefully this will decrease the demand for wild musk deer.

Links

Musk Deer

Himalayan musk deer