The ‘Deer’ Odorant

IT was the year 1542, and the Mughal emperor, Humayun was on the run, driven from his empire by Sher Shah. He was on his way to Persia when the news of his son’s birth reached him. The emperor held out some pellets of musk to his loyal followers, and said, “May my little new-born son become so great that his fame spreads all over like the fragrance of this musk in my hands.” His son would later succeed him as Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, the greatest of the Mughals.

Musk or “kasturi” is obtained from the musk gland, present in the skin beneath the abdomen of the male musk deer, called “kastura” or “muskh” in Hindustani. When fresh, this musk has a strong odour, but when dry, it carries the subtle fragrance of the “kasturi”.

The animal is not more than 50 cms high at the shoulder. It has no antlers but the males have developed backward curving tusk-like incisors in their upper jaws. Unlike other deer, it has a gall bladder.

The musk deer has thick sturdy legs. Its long, pointed hooves are unusually large. The hooves are well adapted to give it a foothold on snowy slopes and slippery rocks. It wears a coat of thick and bristly hair, the colour of which is mainly a shade of rich dark brown, speckled with grey.

The musk deer was once spread over a wide area in central and northeast Asia. It is seen in the wilds of Kashmir, Nepal and Sikkim. A creature of the “sub alpine” region, it is found in the snow-capped Himalayas, at heights between three to four thousand metres.

The musk deer lives singly or in pairs. It scrapes out a shallow hole in the ground in which it lies concealed during the day and comes out to feed in the evenings. Its food consists of grass, lichen, leaves and flowers.

Though protected by law, this shy little deer has been driven to extinction in most parts of its range by hunters. Its musk pod commands exorbitant prices. The best chances for sighting the musk deer are in the protected areas such as the Kedarnath Deer Sanctuary and the Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal.