The musk deer is a small, shy, and solitary deer known for the musk gland found in males, which produces a strong-smelling substance used in traditional perfumes and medicines.

ONE WORLD  JOURNAL

Watch The musk deer is a small, shy, and solitary deer known for the musk gland found in males, which produces a strong-smelling substance used in traditional perfumes and medicines. - ONE WORLD  JOURNAL on Dailymotion

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00:00In the roof of the world where snow leopard stalk and golden eagles soar hides a ghost of the

00:13mountains the cashmere musk deer smaller than a labrador armed with vampire-like tusks and

00:20carrying a scent worth more than gold this elusive creature is vanishing before we've

00:26even begun to understand it

00:38the cashmere musk deer a creature so rare that fewer than 1,000 may remain in the

00:44wild standing just 60 centimeters tall Moschus capraeus is no ordinary deer males bear

00:51no antlers but instead possess saber-like canine teeth up to seven centimeters long endemic to

00:59cashmere's high mountains they inhabit the treacherous slopes between 2,500 and 4,300 meters

01:06above sea level these solitary creatures are masters of camouflage their dark brown coats

01:12with golden flecks blending perfectly with the rocky alpine landscape they emerge at dawn and

01:18dusk browsing on leaves lichens and bark in territories they defend the male's most distinctive

01:24feature is also his death sentence a small abdominal gland that produces musk one of nature's most

01:31valuable scents just 15 to 25 grams of this substance can be worth more than gold for over

01:382,000 years musk has been prized in traditional medicine and perfumery today it commands up to

01:4550,000 dollars per kilogram on international markets this astronomical value has driven

01:50relentless poaching to obtain a single musk pod an entire male must be killed devastating already

01:57fragmented populations from several thousand in the 1950s the kashmiri musk deer population has

02:04crashed to fewer than 1,000 individuals the species faces a perfect storm of threats poaching remains the

02:12greatest danger but habitat loss from development and climate change are fragmenting their mountain

02:17refuges each isolated population becomes more vulnerable to local extinction scientists race

02:24against time to understand and protect the remaining populations camera traps monitor remote valleys

02:29while local communities are trained as guardians of their natural heritage anti-poaching patrols use

02:36modern technology to protect ancient creatures habitat restoration projects aim to reconnect fragmented forests

02:43while synthetic musk alternatives offer hope for reducing demand in cashmere silent mountains the

02:50musk deer continues its secretive existence whether this evolutionary treasure survives depends on our choices today

03:06so

03:09the

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