Expensive fragrance: Karsturi Musk is driving deer to extinction

Expensive fragrance: Musk (Kasturi) is driving the deer to extinction.

 It is the desire to obtain the scent that is more expensive than gold that is driving the musk Kasturi deer to extinction in Pakistan

Some people have made their livelihood by killing the musk deer & obtaining its musk (Kasturi). Musk is sold more expensive than gold because it is used in the Globally world most expensive perfume.

This is what Mr.Qamar who lives near the Line of Control in Pakistan administered Kashmir Neelum Valley. Who has done special research on musk deer in addition to his master degree in zoology. Several research papers on musk deer by Qamar have also been published.

He also says that after the pangolin (Kasturi) musk deer is the most illegally hunted & traded in Pakistan.

The number of musk deer has decreased very much. As a child' we used to see musk deer passing near our house. Not so now. Their number has decreased even below the dan-ger limit.

A similar opinion has-been expressed by Dr Mr MK Ranjit Singh from India who has been the head of the India Trust of Wildlife.

Musk deer photo Jungle

Dr Mr Paras Bikram Singh is a researcher associated with the Biodiversity Conservation Society of (Nepal).

According to Dr. Mr Paras Bikram Singh' illegal hunting of musk deer is common in all Himalayan countries because musk Kasturi deer is found in these regions.

Experts from Himalayan countries including Pakistan, China, India Bhutan & Nepal have expressed fear in their international report that due to illegal hunting as well as environmental & climate change from 2050 to 2070. The habitats of musk deer will disappear. May be endangered.

Mr Dr. Naeem Awan, an expert participating in this report from Pakistan said: that the extremely valuable musk deer is not only threatened by illegal hunting, but also by climate & environmental change.

However the biggest threat is its poaching & illegal musk trade.

Before we discuss musk deer poaching Climate change & its threats. What is a musk deer & why is the musk from it so important?

Musk deer & fragrance

Dr. Mr MK Ranjit Singh: Author & former chairman of India Wildlife Trust, points out that musk deer habitats are found in almost all the Himalayan countries. Its habitats are in the high mountains & forests of the Himalayas. People living near the habitats of musk deer are involved in its hunting & buying & selling.

According to Dr. MK Ranjit Singh: musk is found only in young male musk deer. According to him" various methods of extracting musk deer scent are practiced in the Himalayan countries. All these methods are similar with slight differences & generally deer are killed to obtain musk.

According to Qamar-ul-Zaman, the scent of musk is contained in a membrane or pod attached to the navel of the musk deer.

A male musk Kasuri deer produces musk when he is young. At that time, it produces fragrance. Basically, the purpose of this scent is to attract female deer interested in mating.

According to Mr Qamar musk is contained in a thin membrane, & when a deer is hunted to obtain it, the expert hunter takes it very quickly & takes it out with his hand & cuts the skin with a knife. It is a semi dry granular safflower. After extracting it, the moisture contained in it is dried.

He more says that different methods are used for this. The most commonly used method is to put it in rice. Rice dries up its moisture. Some people dry them near a fire & even in the sun.

Mr Qamar-ul-Zaman also said that the musk found in deer varies according to different regions & the age of the deer. It is usually half a tola to four tolas & sometimes more.

It is so valuable & expensive that I have observed that people wait all year round for hunting a deer. By obtaining musk from it. they spend the whole year in a carefree manner.

Perfume made from musk is very popular in Europe & Arab countries.

Dr. MK Ranjit Singh says that once he went to Paris' a man there showed him a 70 year old musk.

Even after 70 years: Its fragrance was still alive. There was a fragrance that was mesmerizing & its value was increasing with time.

This person probably kept this musk in his house for fragrance. The price he quoted me years ago. She was very high for that time.

Musk deer has been poached for thousands of years.

Dr Mr MK Ranjit Singh also says that musk deer have-been killed unnaturally for 5, 6 thousand years. It is hunted not only for its fragrance, but also in religious rituals, temples, folk remedies &  (s-e-x) rituals.

Dr. MK Ranjit Singh more said that in India in the seventies, when the buying and selling of musk deer organs and hunting was banned, people involved in buying & selling it recommended that They should be allowed to do this only once.

Dr.Ranjit Singh says that apart from this' we also faced resistance from religious circles.

He also said that it has-been hunted indiscriminately in the countries of the Himalayan region & hunting dogs.

Dr. Mr Paras Bikram Singh said that we have found from the research that the musk deer hunters have also become familiar with their habits. Musk Kasturi deer usually use the same spot for defecating. Meanwhile" they also convey messages to other deer.

He said that some time ago: 6 musk deer were killed in one such place in Nepal which was used by musk deer to defecate.

The largest number in the area of ​​the Line of Control

Mr Qamar-ul-Zaman says that in the areas of Pakistan where musk deer were found until a few years ago" their number has now decreased.

Google Climate change accelerator

Dr. Paras says that there is no doubt that the number of musk deer has decreased over the years, but we do not know how much because we never knew the actual number.

He also says that no such survey has-been possible in the Himalayan countries to estimate their number. The lack of numbers is not related to a single country or region, it is the situation in the entire Himalayas.

Dr. MK Ranjit Singh also agrees with this. However, he says that the area along the Line of Control between Pakistan and India probably has the largest population of musk deer. Apart from this, it is present in some protected parks of India.

He said that the reason for the presence of musk Kasturi deer in the areas of the Line of Control between India and Pakistan is the lack of human intervention in these areas.

Qamar is also of the opinion that there are still adequate numbers of them in the areas of the Neelum Valley which are located near the Line of Control.

Dr. MK Ranjit says that as long as there is demand for musk, its hunting will continue in 1 way or another despite restrictions.

Kasturi Musk deer farming in China

Muhammad Yusuf Qureshi is the retired Director of Wildlife Department in Pakistan Administered Kashmir. He says that at 1 time there was a lot of hunting of musk deer, but now it has decreased somewhat and the reason for this is due to musk deer farming in China.

Muhammad Yusuf Qureshi more says that China invited us to visit the musk deer farming, but they did not show us the entire farm & did not give us complete information about it.

Mohammad Yusuf says:  China seems to be selling cheap kasturi musk to the world through farming, which has reduced the demand for hunted musk. Due to this, in some areas of Pakistan where musk deer are found, they have-been seen again after a long time, which is welcome.

He says that in China musk deer are anesthetized to obtain musk from farming.

The deer from which musk is obtained produces it again after some time.

Muhammad Yusuf Qureshi said that he had tried to start musk deer farming in Pakistan administered Kashmir but could not succeed due to lack of resources.

Dr Mr Paras Bikram Singh says that farming may be a good way to meet the local market &  the demand of Europe & Arabia, but we have to take care of animal rights. Musk deer should not be kept in a cage.

They say that if farming is being seen as a solution to the problem. Places like their communities have to be created for farming.

The Kasturi musk deer is a shy animal. Apart from being a loner, he likes to run. It hides itself in certain types of trees. Lives at high altitude. All this has to be provided if farming is to be done. Otherwise, there will be no point in imprisoning a living being without it.

Himalayan & Kasturi musk deer are inseparable

Mr Dr. MK Ranjit Singh says that the musk Kasturi deer & the Himalayan Choli Daman are close together.

Dr. Paras Bikram says that a study has found that the range of different species of musk deer is spread throughout the Himalayas.

The species of musk deer found in the areas of Pakistan, Afghanistan and India can be found in the mountains of western Nepal or the western Himalayas.

A study in the Himalayan region, he says, shows that by 2050 to 2070, Kasturi musk deer habitats could shrink significantly, in addition to shifting, due to climate and Globally climate change, & in many areas, musk deer habitats may disappear. can

Dr Muhammad Naeem Awan says that the Himalayas & musk deer are inseparable & if the musk deer is reduced or extinct, it means that the unique environment of the Himalayas, which is less of a blessing for the Himalayan countries. No, that too will+be near the end.

Dr MK Ranjit Singh says: That whether it is Pakistan or  Nepal India or Afghanistan, farming has started from the foothills of the Himalayas to the mountains. It is intervening in the Himalayas. This encroachment is leading to the destruction of valuable animals like the Kasturi musk deer & the Himalayas. The water needs of the Himalayan countries are mostly met from the Himalayas.

He says that if the human intervention in the Himalayas continues to increase, the loss will not only be until the extinction or reduction of the musk deer, but its extreme ecological losses will also have to be borne by humans.