14 DAY TRIAL // An odd-looking deer that sparkly vampire Edward Cullen would surely have trouble hunting down and feasting on was spotted in the woods in northeastern Afghanistan towards the end of October.
As explained by folks with environmental group the Wildlife Conservation Society, the creature was a fanged deer, otherwise known as a Kashmir musk deer. By the looks of it, such an animal was last spotted in the wild over 6 decades ago.
Definitely not a cute and cuddly creature
Ever since Disney's “Bambi” hit screens, most people think of deer as totally adorbs forest dwellers. The thing is that, despite being related to Disney's white-tailed movie star, the fanged deer looks anything but cuddly.
On the contrary, wildlife researchers say that males belonging to this species sport an impressive set of fangs that stick out of their mouth. The deer use these fangs to inflict serious injuries on their opponents during the mating season.
What's somewhat ironic is the fact that, as aggressive as fanged deer can sometimes be, they only measure about 2 feet (0.6 meters) in height. Simply put, they are freakishly small creatures with serious anger management issues.
It is understood that, while exploring forests in northeastern Afghanistan earlier this year, wildlife researchers came across not just a male fanged deer, but also a female and its offspring. It is possible that several other such creatures currently populate the region.
Fanged deer have very good reasons to stay hidden
According to the Huffington Post, the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the Kashmir musk deer as an endangered species. Thus, greenheads say that, unless granted better protection, this species could soon fall off the biodiversity map.
Like many other species, the fanged deer risks going extinct due to the fact that humans have destroyed a large portion of its natural habitat. Besides, there are plenty of people who go hunting for these creatures, looking to get their hands on their scent glands.
In case anyone was wondering, scent glands taken from such animals are used to make traditional medicine or perfumes. Conservationists say that they are so valuable that they can sell for a whopping $45,000 (nearly €36,000) per kilogram.
Together with other environmental groups, the Wildlife Conservation Society maintains that fanged deer need be protected simply because they are part and parcel of Afghanistan's natural heritage. “Musk deer are one of Afghanistan’s living treasures,” said Peter Zahler, the Society's deputy director of Asia Programs.
“This rare species, along with better known wildlife such as snow leopards, are the natural heritage of this struggling nation,” the conservationist went on to stress.