A species of deer, the Sumatran muntjac (Muntiacus montanus), was considered “lost” until it was rediscovered in “in the remote mountains of western Sumatra, Indonesia.” The Sumatran muntjac has not been seen since 1930, until a specimen was rescued from a snare by a team “on an anti-poaching patrol 6400ft above sea level in Sumatra’s Kerinci-Seblat National Park.” The discovery highlights the importance of protected areas and conservation. From the Scotsman:

The rangers took the photographs in 2002 but did not realise until years later that they had found a species that was thought to be extinct.

Debbie Martyr and a colleague rescued the deer – about the size of a large dog – from a tiger hunter’s snare 6,400 feet high in the mountains of the Kerinci- Seblat National Park while they were looking for poachers.

Ms Martyr said: “We got a report that there were snares active in the area and we went to take a look and see what was going on.

“We found two tiger snares then followed a trail and found this deer caught. It was about 70 centimetres high, a hind, and it was pregnant.

“The ranger I was with gave it a massage with some special oils because it had a sore leg. I took lots of photographs because I thought there was something not quite right.

“I know my cats and my primates very well but I’m not as well up on the deer. Lots of species are very variable so you have to be careful if something is not quite the right colour or the right size.”

They then set the animal free. “It went off on all four legs. It had a bit of a limp – but it had a chance,” said Ms Martyr.

Robert Timmins, a British naturalist and muntjac expert, later contacted the park looking for any evidence of the “lost” species. He identified the animal in the picture as a Sumatran muntjac.

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