In an exceptional event, the Maharashtra Forest Department, along with naturalist and wildlife photographer Shantanu Kuveskar, rescued a mouse deer from a market in Mangaon, Raigad district. The Indian mouse deer, the smallest deer in India, was found in the vicinity of the market, and immediate action was taken to ensure its safety.

Shantanu Kuveskar received information from a businessman in the market about the sighting of a small deer-like creature. On inspecting the area, they spotted the shy mouse deer and realised it may have lost its way due to floods and urbanisation.

“It was necessary to rescue the deer immediately, as stray dogs and a busy highway posed risks to its safety. After careful planning and efforts, we rescued the mouse deer and informed the forest department,” Shantanu stated.

Mangaon Range Forest Officer Aniruddha Dhage and his team, along with Shantanu and other locals, facilitated the rescue of the deer. After a medical examination at the Mangaon Veterinary Hospital, the mouse deer, weighing around 4 kg, was released back into its natural habitat.

The Indian mouse deer is highly nocturnal and usually inhabits forest areas away from human habitation, making its sighting in the wild a rare event.

The Indian mouse deer (Indian Spotted Chevrotain) has a body length of just 23 inches (57.5 cm) and weighs about 3 kg. It is categorised as “Least Concern” in terms of conservation status according to IUCN. Due to its shyness and nocturnal habits, spotting the Indian mouse deer in the wild remains a challenging task.

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