Small Deer-Like Animal Thought To Be Extinct, Spotted In Vietnam After 30 Years!
The Silver-backed Chevrotain or Mouse deer was last spotted in 1990 according to a study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. When there were no sightings of these animals the experts thought that the species had gone extinct due to hunting. Vietnamese biologist An Nguyen and his team had put some 30 motion-activated cameras in the nearby forests to spot it.
For the first time in nearly 30 years, a very rare species of small, deer-like animal which was thought to be on the verge of extinction, has been spotted in the North-western jungles of Vietnam.
Known as the Silver-backed Chevrotain or Mouse deer, the animal was last spotted in 1990, according to a study published in the journal, Nature Ecology and Evolution. The Mouse Deer are found near Nha Trang, about 450 kilometres (280 miles) northeast of Ho Chi Minh City.
AFP
When there were no sightings of these animals, the experts thought that the species had gone extinct due to hunting.
However, Vietnamese biologist An Nguyen, who is a PhD student at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, worked with his colleagues, Barney Long and Andrew Tilker, to sight the Mouse Deer. He had been wondering for years whether the animal might still be holding on somewhere.
AFP
He spoke to some of the locals to find out whether there had been any sightings of Mouse Deer or not. After which, An Nguyen and his team had put some 30 motion-activated cameras in the nearby forests, to spot it. "The results were amazing. I was overjoyed when we checked the camera traps and saw photographs of a chevrotain with silver flanks," said Nguyen.
Tilker also said that "Just because we found this species relatively easily doesn't mean it is not threatened.'' Forests in Southeast Asia are under tremendous pressure due to growing populations and development "...so we need to get ahead of the curve on conservation," Tilker added.
According to a report by United Nations body of biodiversity experts, wildlife in Vietnam serious threats like poaching, hunting and habitat loss due to urbanisation.
AFP
It is fortunate that this animal is not yet extinct, but it's worrisome that it is on the brink of it; this is not the only animal in this precarious situation. Thousands of species of flora and fauna have either gone extinct or are facing serious threats due to indiscriminate human activities. If we do not pull back in time, we might just be too late to save them. Actually, we already are.
