A new variety of barking deer was rescued and brought to the state zoo in Guwahati. The peculiar things about the rescued barking deer is that it is black in colour, normally barking deers are brown but this is the first time zoo officials saw a black barking deer. This variety of deer is supposed to be very rare.
The barking deer is also known by another name ‘Muntjac deer’. This type of deer is mainly found in Southern Asia.
This group of deer consists of 12 known species and several subspecies, with unique features like small antlers and canine tusks. They are Indian, Black, Bornean yellow, Gongshan, Roosevelt’s, Reeves’, Fea’s, Giant, Truong Son, Leaf, Pu Hoat and Sumatran muntjac.
The Indian Muntjac is found in Southern Asian regions of India, Nepal and Pakistan. It is also commonly known as the red muntjac due to the rusty colour of its coat. The population of this species is of least concern to the IUCN, as they flourish in numbers in their habitat.
The black muntjac is widely known as the hairy-fronted muntjac and also as the red-headed blue muntjac. The species gets its name due to its dark colour and unique red hair on top of its head, between the ears. The black muntjac can also be identified by its long tail with white hair on both sides. This species of muntjac deer is considered vulnerable and highly endangered with only a few thousand individuals remaining in the wild. The main threats are habitat loss due to human occupation and hunting. Due to loss of habitat, the black muntjac is restricted to eastern China, western Zhejiang, North-eastern Jiangxi and northern Fujian.