Muntjac deer species deemed extinct found in Vietnam

The muntjac species considered to be extinct for more than eight decades has suddenly appeared again at a nature reserve in northern Vietnam.

The species, scientifically named Muntiacus rooseveltorum, was recently found at the Xuan Lien Nature Reserve in Thanh Hoa Province, Nguyen Dinh Hai, the reserve’s director, said on Wednesday.

In Vietnamese, the species is called “mang.”

The discovery was made by a team of researchers, who are implementing a project entitled “Survey and Conservation of Muntjac Species in the Reserve,” which was jointly launched in 2012 by the reserve and the Center for Natural Resources Management and Environmental Studies under the Vietnam National University – Hanoi.

During a recent survey, the team discovered some excrement thought to be left over by the muntjac species and later took photographs of a few muntjac-like animals at the reserve.

The team also found the horns and hides of some deers, believed to be Muntiacus rooseveltorum members, that had been killed by local hunters.

All the specimens were then sent to the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources for DNA testing.

After comparing the specimens with those of the muntjac species that has been considered extinct for 85 years, scientists confirmed they are identical.  

Based on the comparative results, the team concluded that the newly-detected muntjac species is the Muntiacus rooseveltorum.   

The Muntiacus rooseveltorum, which belongs to the Cervidae family and was once spotted in Laos, was thought to have died out in 1929, researchers said.

A cranial specimen of this species is being kept at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the U.S., they added.