Rare-Mouse Deer Thought To Be Extinct Seen For The First Time In 30 YEARS

This is amazing! 

A rare, small mouse deer has been spotted for the first time ever in a Vietnamese jungle after it was thought to be on the brink of extinction. This is the first sighting of the mouse deer in 30 years. 

According to a study – which was published on 11th November 2019 – in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, the silver-backed chevrotain was last seen and recorded in 1990. The Star wrote that the species, Tragulus Versicolor, was first talked about in 1910 based on animals discovered nearby Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City.

Since 1990 there were no confirmed sightings of the Vietnam mouse deer, thus experts assumed that it was on the verge of extinction because of hunting practises. So, An Nguyen, a Vietnamese biologist, was curious if the Vietnam mouse deers had been thriving somewhere in the woods.

Source: Youtube 

She along with her colleagues, Barney Long and Andrew Tilker, as well as some villagers went over the reported sightings of the Vietnam mouse deer. The sightings were consistent and there were more than 30 motion-activated cameras in the nearby forests. Nguyen said,

“The results were amazing. I was overjoyed when we checked the camera traps and saw photographs of a chevrotain with silver flanks.”

Having said that, Tilker noted that even though the species was sighted in Vietnamese forest but that doesn’t mean it’s not threatened. 

Source: NPR

Well, it’s great that a species which was thought to be extinct has re-emerged; we truly hope that the silver-backed chevrotain will be nurtured by the people and authorities.

Also read: A Black Panther Was Spotted Lurking Near Residential Area In Terengganu Village