Road to extinction
according to a report by Traffic, the wildlife trade monitoring programme of the World Wide Fund for Nature, the population of the endangered musk deer has gone down by 50 per cent in the past 10 years. The demand for musk as an ingredient in medicines and perfumes is the reason behind their decline, says the report. Found in 13 countries in Asia and in the eastern parts of Russia, the musk derived from the male musk deer is one of the most expensive natural products. It has a retail value three to five times higher than that of gold.
"Although hunting and trade in natural musk is banned in India, deer poaching and illegal trade in wild musk is flourishing in the Himalayan region,' says Manoj Misra, director of Traffic India.
Volker Homes, the author of the report says: "immediate action is needed to reduce the use of natural musk from wild deer by increasing consumer awareness about conservation concerns and increasing the use of alternatives.'
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