Rare ' Mouse Deer ' Seen in Kanger Ghati National Park

• 31 May 2023

Why In News?

According to the information given by the Chhattisgarh Public Relations Department on May 30, 2023, the picture of the now rare species 'mouse deer' has been captured in the camera trap in the famous Kanger Valley National Park located in Bastar.

key points

• Recently, along with the return of the endangered wild wolves in the Kanger Valley National Park, the sweet voice of Chhattisgarh's state bird 'Hill Myna' has also started echoing in the villages adjacent to it.
• This shows the positive result of the work being done for the safe habitat of wildlife by the initiative of the Forest Department. The habitat of rare species has been protected by Kanger Valley National Park Management by continuously working towards the conservation of wildlife.
• Director of Kanger Valley National Park Dhammasheel Ganveer said that employment has been provided to the local youth as patrolling guards by the National Park Management, due to which wildlife habitat is being conserved by continuous patrolling and monitoring. Along with this, an increase in the number of wild animals is being seen due to the participation of the villagers adjacent to the national park.
• It is noteworthy that out of 12 species of deer found in India, mouse deer is one of the smallest deer group species in the world.
• The habitat of Indian mouse deer is especially in dense bushes and moist forests. Mouse deer show a mixture of mouse-pig and deer appearance and size and are the only group of deer without antlers.
• Due to the shy behavior and nocturnal activity of mouse deer, special research has not been done about them. The presence of mouse deer has been recorded mainly in the tropical moist deciduous forests of South Asia and Southeast Asia.
• The Indian mouse deer population is probably facing a serious threat from wildfires, increasing encroachment and hunting pressure. At present efforts are needed to save these species.
• Due to suitable habitat for such wildlife in Kanger Ghati National Park and the continuous awareness campaign for the protection of wildlife by the National Park Management and the participation of the local people, seeing the return of rare species like 'mouse deer', the state government The objective of wildlife conservation is being realized. This will attract tourists and the number of tourists in the national park will increase further.