{"id":743024,"date":"2019-11-12T15:22:45","date_gmt":"2019-11-12T15:22:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ghana-mma.com\/2019\/11\/12\/look-mouse-deer-rediscovered-in-vietnam-30-years-after-becoming-extinct\/"},"modified":"2019-11-12T15:22:45","modified_gmt":"2019-11-12T15:22:45","slug":"look-mouse-deer-rediscovered-in-vietnam-30-years-after-becoming-extinct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/11\/12\/look-mouse-deer-rediscovered-in-vietnam-30-years-after-becoming-extinct\/","title":{"rendered":"LOOK: Mouse deer rediscovered in Vietnam 30 years after becoming ‘extinct’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A silver-backed chevrotain is captured on camera in an undisclosed forest in south-central Vietnam. Picture: Southern Institute of Ecology\/Global Wildlife Conservation\/Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research\/NCNP via AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Hanoi – A cute mouse deer, also known as a silver-backed chevrotain, has been caught on camera in Vietnam after it was considered “lost to science” for 30 years, reports said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Camera traps captured images of the furry creature rummaging for food amid undergrowth in a southern Vietnamese forest, the first confirmed sighting of the creature since the 1980s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

It’s a curious animal resembling a diminutive deer yet with a mouse-like head adorned with auburn fur. It also has hooves, which means it’s actually a rare species of ungulate, and is found only in Vietnam.<\/p>\n

“We had no idea what to expect, so I was surprised and overjoyed when we checked the camera traps and saw photographs of a chevrotain with silver flanks,” said An Nguyen, a scientist at Global Wildlife Conservation, according to The Guardian.<\/p>\n

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\n A silver-backed chevrotain is photographed in an undisclosed forest in south-central Vietnam. The species, commonly known as Vietnamese mouse deer, was rediscovered after 30 years. Picture: Southern Institute of Ecology\/Global Wildlife Conservation\/Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research\/NCNP via AP
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The findings were first reported in a paper published by Nature Ecology and Evolution. Its opening paragraph calls for renewed conservation.<\/p>\n

“Here, we provide evidence that the silver-backed chevrotain still exists and the first photographs of the species in the wild, and urge immediate conservation actions to ensure its survival,” the report said.<\/p>\n

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\n Two silver-backed chevrotains in an undisclosed forest in south-central Vietnam. Picture: Southern Institute of Ecology\/Global Wildlife Conservation\/Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research\/NCNP via AP
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An Nguyen’s team discovered the rare animal after setting up three camera traps which took photos over a five-month period in forests not far from the coastal Vietnamese city of Nha Trang.<\/p>\n

The report also shares concerns about the use of snares in Vietnam, which may have pushed the creature to the edge of extinction.<\/p>\n

dpa
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