New species of musk deer found in Manang
Useful Links
» A new way to read online, exact replica of your daily and magazine
» For all you tweety fans out there!
» Allows you to find only those news from any date you choose!
» Search any news/ articles by author/ category/ date/ keyword
KASKI, NOV 20 -
A two-member research team claimed to have discovered a new species of the endangered musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster), locally known as ‘Kasturi Mriga’, in the mountainous area of the Annapurna Conservation Area Programme (ACAP) about a week ago.
Conservation Officer Paras Bikram Singh and Ranger Uttam Chapagain at the ACAP, who have been conducting research in Manang and Mustang districts for the past two years, discovered the new deer species inside the jungle located between Khangsar and Pakkharka in Manang.
Singh claimed that the recently spotted deer is a new species of the musk deer found in Nepal. So far, Nepal is home for three different species of the musk deer—golden-necked, white-necked and black musk deer.
“The new species, which has two distinct strips on the neck and looks similar to Siberian musk deer, is not recorded in the country so far,” said Singh. “We will conduct a DNA test of the new deer species to verify our claim.”
The musk deer, one of six deer species found in Nepal, belongs to the Moschidae family. It is found in Kanchenjunga and Manaslu conservation areas and Sagarmatha, Langtang, Shey Phoksundo, Rara, Khaptad and Makalu Barun national parks, besides the ACAP area, in Nepal.
According to the statistics provided by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, around 3,000 musk deer are found in Nepal.
In Asia, it is also found in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar and Pakistan.
The musk deer are hunted for musk, a powdery substance which the male musk deer secretes from a gland in the abdomen. This is a highly valued item for perfumes and medicines. Chinese use the musk as a folk medicine and believe it has aphrodisiac properties.
Posted on: 2011-11-20 08:39
Post Your Comment