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

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quality diets, for example, mainly lichens Usnea spp. which, while low in proteins, are very high in energy

and easily digested (Green, 1987b and Negi, 1996).  When the snow is deep, arboreal lichens and

evergreen rhododendrons may constitute the only available sources of nourishment for musk deer.  Musk

deer can climb into trees to graze on lichens and leaves otherwise out of reach.

Predators

Musk deer have a number of natural predators.  Depending on the range, their main predators may include

the Wolverine Gulo gulo, Grey Wolf Canis lupus, Leopard Panthera pardus, Tiger Panthera tigris, Snow

Leopard Unica unica, Lynx Lynx lynx, Fox Vulpes vulpes and Yellow-throated Marten Martes flavigula.

The young are also attacked by large birds of prey (Green, 1987a, Kozhechkin, 1994 and Zhivotshenko,

1988).  Predators do not, however, have a significant impact on the size of the musk deer population.  In

the region of the Altai and Eastern Sayans in Russia, musk deer form up to 50% of the diet of the Yellow-

throated Marten but, nevertheless, the martens in these regions remove only about 8-12% of the overall

population of musk deer (Bannikov et al., 1978 and Prikhod‘ko, 1997).  Musk deer detect approaching

danger in part though their sense of hearing (F. Meyer, pers. comm., April 1998 and Zhivotshenko, 1988).

Distribution and population

The distribution of musk deer extends through the forested mountains of eastern Asia, from the Arctic

Circle in Siberia in the north, to the north-eastern edge of Mongolia and Korea and further southward

across China, away from the Gobi Desert, to Vietnam, and Myanmar continuing as far as the southern

Himalayas in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan (see Figure 1).  In Central Asia, musk deer occur in

Kazakhstan, possibly in Kyrgyzstan, and the south of Russia (Dao, 1977; Flerov, 1952; Green, 1986 and

Whitehead, 1972).  Musk deer mainly inhabit altitudes of above 1000 m.  In the Himalayas, the animals’

range extends in parts up to the tree line at an altitude of 4200 m, but in the northern parts of their range,

musk deer may occur at much lower altitudes.

The accuracy of the estimates of the size of musk deer populations varies greatly in the different regions

(Wemmer, 1998).  Only in very few countries are population estimates based at least in part on systematic

counts carried out in selected areas and extrapolated to larger distribution ranges: this method of estimating

population sizes was used in the Soviet Union.  Overall the population of all musk deer species may be

estimated to be between 400 000 and 800 000 individuals.

The following information is taken mainly from the IUCN/SSC/Deer Specialist Group (Wemmer, 1998):

x

Himalayan Musk Deer populations in Afghanistan and of Black Musk Deer in Bhutan are

estimated to be small.

x

The population of Forest Musk Deer in China is estimated to number approximately 600 000

individuals, but the basis of this figure is unclear.  This species is most widespread in China and

constitutes the largest population of all musk deer species in China.  The other three musk deer

species also live in China, but only in certain provinces of the country and they are markedly less

abundant than the Forest Musk Deer (Ohtaishi and Gao, 1990 and Sheng and Ohtaishi, 1993).

x

In India, Himalayan Musk Deer inhabit parts of Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, the northern part

of Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.  The species is more common in the Eastern

Himalayas because the habitat of the animals has been less disturbed there.  Black Musk Deer

occur in the provinces of Assam and Sikkim.

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Figure 1

Range of musk deer (Moschus spp.) according to Corbet and Hill (1992); Dao (1977); Flerov

(1952); Green (1986);Wemmer (1998) and Whitehead (1972)

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Notes

: Outer boundary: border of musk deer range; inner boundary: non range area.

AF: Afghanistan; BT: Bhutan; CN: China; IN: India; KG: Kyrgystan; KP: North Korea; KR: South Korea; KZ:

Kazakhstan; MM: Myanmar; MN: Mongolia; NP: Nepal; PK: Pakistan; RU: Russia; VN: Vietnam

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Û

Siberian Musk Deer populations in North and South Korea are considered to be near

extinction.  Information on their present distribution and population size is, however, lacking.

Û

Populations of Siberian Musk Deer in Mongolia are believed to be small owing to hunting of

these animals.

Û

Nothing is known about the small population of Black Musk Deer in Myanmar (Salter, 1983).

Û

In Nepal, Himalayan Musk Deer are widely distributed across the mountainous parts of the

Himalayas.  Within protected areas numbers of the deer are increasing, while outside the

protected areas they are continuing to decline.  Black Musk Deer also occur in the Everest

region.

Û

In Pakistan, Himalayan Musk Deer are found in only a small part of the mountainous regions

of the Western Himalayas (Ahmad and Ghalib, 1975).

Û

In the territory of the former Soviet Union only the Siberian Musk Deer species occurs.  The

subspecies  M. m. moschiferus is widely distributed throughout Eastern Siberia and in the

Russian Far East, from the Altai Mountains in the west to the Kolymskiy Mountains in the east.

M. m. parvipes occurs in the Ussurisk region of the Russian Far East and four populations of the

Sakhalin Musk Deer M. m. sachalinensis inhabit the southern half of Sakhalin Island. 

TRAFFIC Europe-Germany has no information about estimates for population sizes of musk

deer in Kazakhstan (where they occur in the easternmost part, in the Altai province) and in

Kyrgyzstan (where it possibly occurs), but the numbers would be very low (O. Tsaruk, Y. Chikin,

T. Brangina and A. Vaisman, pers. comms to TRAFFIC Europe-Germany).

Û

Populations of Forest Musk Deer occur in the north-east area of Vietnam.  The population levels

are declining here in all areas because of illegal hunting (Corbet and Hill, 1992 and Duc et al.,

1990).

Population in the Soviet Union and Russia

Information on musk deer populations in Russia differs widely.  Between 1990 and 1996 there were no

official counts of musk deer in the territory of the former Soviet Union (A. Vaisman, in litt. to TRAFFIC

Europe-Germany, June 1998).  Between 1979 and 1990 musk deer were counted in parts of their range,

but no official data for the total population of musk deer in the Soviet Union at this time are available.  

According to official figures from the State Service for Statistics on Hunting Resources (1997), popula-

tions of Siberian Musk Deer in Russia, in 1996, stood at 153 200 and in 1997 at 154 000.  These figures

are based on sample counts and extrapolations.  However, some musk deer experts in Russia have a totally

different opinion of the number of musk deer remaining in Russia (Anon., 1993; Poyarkov and Chestin,

1993 and Wemmer, 1998).  The Russian population of the species is assumed to be stable, according to the

State Service for Statistics on Hunting Resources (1997).

Bannikov et al. (1978) estimated the population of Siberian Musk Deer in the former Soviet Union at

100 000, based on a mean population density of 0.6 animals per km

2

(densities of up to 20 animals per

km

2

are obtained in optimum habitats).  However with the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the

population has apparently declined considerably and is currently estimated to total around 50 000-60 000

individuals, with approximately 29 000-30 000 in the Altai and Sayan region; 18 000-19 000 around Lake

Baikal; 5000-6000 in Siberia; 4000-5000 in the Russian Far East and 300-350 on Sakhalin Island

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