The elusive Himalayan musk deer, which is categorised as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List, has been sighted in Bengal after a gap of nearly 70 years, with the animal being photographed in the Neora Valley National Park in Kalimpong district.
The images, captured on December 17, 2024, by a trap camera installed by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), confirm the presence of the rare species in Bengal for the first time since 1955.
The cameras, which had originally been set up to research red pandas, recorded multiple clear images of the musk deer from different angles. However, the state forest department had not been informed about the images until recently. The camera data were being transmitted directly to the WII headquartered in Dehradun, leaving Bengal foresters in the dark.
Bhaskar JV, chief conservator of forests (wildlife, north), said the WII had not yet provided detailed information about the findings to the department.
“It is disappointing that the WII has not provided the details to us, even though we are the apex department in the state, and the national park is also located in our state,” Bhaskar said.
According to records, the previous official sighting of a musk deer in Bengal occurred in the Singalila National Park of Darjeeling in 1955, though no photographic evidence existed at the time.
The new images have therefore generated considerable excitement within the state’s wildlife community.
Wildlife researcher Animesh Bose, who has participated in several surveys in the Neora Valley forest, said the discovery highlighted the region’s rich but unexplored biodiversity.
“We would urge the state forest department to prioritise habitat protection and conservation for the musk deer. We also hope that Unesco will consider the proposal to recognise the national park as a world heritage site,” he said.
In 1999, the Neora Valley park was nominated for heritage status, but Unesco has yet to grant it. With the presence of multiple Red List species, including the Bengal tiger, golden cat, and now the musk deer, the Neora Valley stands as one of India’s most biodiverse and least disturbed forests.
Bhaskar Das, a member of the governing council of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation who is based in Jalpaiguri, has said while musk deer populations have been recorded in Jammu & Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and the sub-Himalayan forests, this is the first photographic record of the animal in
Bengal.
“Considering that it is an endangered species, an urgent assessment of its habitat in Neora Valley is needed. Also, entry into the park’s virgin forests for any purpose other than scientific research should be banned to strengthen the case for the Unesco recognition,” he said.