India hosts four musk deer species: the black musk deer Moschus fuscus, Himalayan musk deer Moschus leucogaster, alpine musk deer Moschus chrysogaster, and Kashmir musk deer Moschus cupreus, all restricted to the Himalayan region and categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red list. Musk deer are threatened as a result of poaching pressures for their musk glands, which are highly valued in traditional medicine and perfumery.
Populations of musk deer have been confirmed in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim and Uttarakhand, but their presence in West Bengal has been historically ambiguous. The last occurrence report dates from 1955, in Singhalila National Park.
The 160 km2 Neora Valley National Park in West Bengal forms part of Kangchenjunga transboundary landscape in the Central Himalaya, with a mosaic of temperate, subtropical and tropical habitats. As a part of the Pan-India Assessment and Monitoring of Endangered Species under the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats programme–Red Panda, we initiated a camera-trapping survey in the Park in December 2023. One camera trap yielded six consecutive images of a musk deer in a single detection event on 17 December 2024 at 00.08 in temperate forest at 3,112 m altitude. Although morphological traits such as the elongated hare-like ears, absence of antlers and visible upper canines are consistent with diagnostic features of the genus Moschus, the individual was photographed at night, limiting the visibility of key morphological characteristics necessary for species-level identification.
Camera trap images of musk deer from Neora Valley National Park, India. Diagnostic characteristics include hare like ears and presence of upper canines (c), and absence of antlers (d).
This provides the first photographic documentation of a musk deer in West Bengal, confirming the genus’ continued presence in the state after presumed extirpation, c. 70 years since the last known sighting. The musk deer’s presence in Neora Valley National Park may be attributed to the availability of suitable habitat, reinforcing the need for studies to identify the species, assess its population status and plan conservation actions. Strengthening protection measures coupled with long-term monitoring is imperative for ensuring the persistence of this highly threatened deer in this transboundary landscape.
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