Black muntjacs seen in E. China nature reserve

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Footage of the endangered black muntjac fighting, grazing and walking have been frequently captured on infrared cameras in a nature reserve in east China's Jiangxi Province.

Staff from the Wuyi Mountain National Nature Reserve recently discovered the footage of the black muntjacs' activities in June, September and October when they checked on the infrared cameras installed around the reserve.

According to footage, at least two black muntjacs could be seen fighting for territory, wandering in the woods or grazing.

"It is very precious to record the black muntjac, the most mysterious deer in the world. Our new discovery this time indicates the forest is well-preserved and interference from humans is relatively less," said Cheng Songlin, senior engineer of Wuyi Mountain National Nature Reserve.

Considered as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List, the black muntjac is under China's first-level state protection and is native to the country. It has a sparse population that mainly inhabits the mountainous areas at an altitude of about 1,000 meters.

The thickly forested Wuyi Mountain National Nature Reserve provides the black muntjac with a good living environment. Experts have said there is an active population here.

"There should be a stable population living in our nature reserve. We should gradually research more of the population ecology and protective behavior on the basis of long term monitoring," said Cheng.

(Cover image is a screenshot of the video.)

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