Conserving Musk Deer the Uses of Musk and Europe's Role in its Trade (pdf, 360 kb)

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Country

Year of CITES membership

Musk deer range State

Import of raw musk

Re-export of

raw musk

Australia 1976

Belgium 1983

Bulgaria 1991

Canada 1975

xxx

China 1981

xxx

xxx

Denmark 1977

East Germany 

1976

Finland 1976

France 1978

xxx

xxx

Gabon 1989

Germany 1976

xxx

xxx

Ghana 1975

Honduras

1985

Hong Kong 

1976

xxx

xxx

India 1976

xxx

Indonesia 1978

Italy 1979

Japan

1980   R!

xxx

xxx

7/83-4/89

Macao 1980

Malaysia 1977

Mauritius 1975

Netherlands 1984

New Zealand 

1989

xxx

North Korea

-

xxx

xxx

Norway 1976

Philippines 1981

Poland 1989

Portugal 1980

South Korea

1993   R!

xxx

xxx

10/93-10/96

Romania

1994

Senegal 1977

Singapore 1986

xxx

xxx

Soviet Union

1976

xxx

Spain 1986

Switzerland 1974

xxx

xxx

Taiwan

-

xxx

Thailand 1983

Togo 1978

UAE

1990

UK 1976

USA 1974

xxx

Yugoslavia

-

Table 4

Table to show the 42 countries that imported musk deer products, including musk, 1978-96,

according to CITES annual reports

R!: CITES reservation clause in respect of the listing of musk deer.

Source: CITES annual reports.  WCMC, January 1998.

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Table 5

Quantities of raw musk reported in trade from range States (and Uzbekistan) and the number

of male musk deer and of musk deer in total estimated to have been killed to supply this trade,

1978-96

Notes:

EX = reported by countries of export, IM = reported by countries of import. 

* Average weight of musk in one musk gland: 25g.  To get one male musk deer with a sufficiently large musk gland, at

least three to five musk deer have to be captured (Green, 1986; Jackson, 1979 and Prikhod‘ko, 1997).

** Musk deer may occur in Kyrgyzstan in very low numbers, and it would appear unlikely that 125 kg of musk could

be harvested in the country.  The amounts of musk that were reportedly exported from the country may therefore

actually have originated elsewhere - in all likelihood in the Russian Federation. 

*** Uzbekistan is not a range State of musk deer, and is not a valid “Country of Origin” for raw musk, although it is

indicated as such in the CITES tabulations that were analysed.  South Korea, a destination country, recorded imports

“originating” from this country in 1994 and in 1995, but these records must refer to re-exports of musk by Uzbekistan

that originated from elsewhere - most likely the Russian Federation.

Source: WCMC, January 1998.

The Soviet Union (from 1978 to 1992) and the CIS republics (Commonwealth of Independent States) of

Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan (from 1992 to 1996) were reportedly the main exporting countries of

raw musk.  Uzbekistan is not a range State of musk deer.  According to the records of destination countries,

the CIS countries exported 363.9 kg of raw musk, 1992-96, which is as much as the total volume that the

Soviet Union exported during the 14 preceding years (364 kg) (see Table 5).  To obtain 363.9 kg of raw

musk, an estimated 40 000 to 75 000 musk deer need to be hunted and killed.  Exports from Mongolia,

1994-95, recorded by importing countries, totalled 350 kg, equating to a similar number of musk deer.

Between 1978 and 1996, countries and territories exporting or re-exporting quantities of raw musk in

excess of 100 kg were Cambodia, Hong Kong, the Soviet Union, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and

Mongolia (see Figure 3 and Table 6).  CITES records indicate that between 1978 and 1996, Cambodia

and Hong Kong were the main re-exporters in the international raw musk trade, while Mongolia, the

Soviet Union and the Republics of the CIS were important primary exporters and source countries for raw

musk (see Table 6). 

Country of

Quantity 

Quantity

Number of male musk

Total number of musk deer

export

(kg) as

(kg) as

deer involved in trade*

involved in trade*

reported

reported

by country

by country

EX

IM

EX

IM

of export

of import

quantity

quantity

quantity

quantity

Soviet Union

283

364

11 320

14 560

33 960-56 600

43 680-72 800

Russia

172.6

112.9

6904

4516

20 712-34 520

13 548-22 580

Kyrgyzstan**

125

5000

15 000-25 000

Uzbekistan***

126

5040

15 120-25 200

Mongolia

350

14 000

42 000-70 000

China

1

0.5

40

20

120-200

60-100

Nepal

20.1

804

2412-4020

India

0.1

4

12-20

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