One of the world’s most elusive mammals has revealed itself.
Footprints and scat belonging to the Visayan spotted deer have been found deep in the Philippines jungle.
Less than 300 of the deer are thought to remain, confined to just two islands, making it one of the most vulnerable of all mammals.
The discovery proves a small population survives in the wild, despite the ongoing threat to its survival from hunting and deforestation.
An expedition team led by Craig Turner and James Sawyer decided to explore the inner forests of the North Negros Natural Park (NNNP) on Negros Island in the Philippines.
The park is considered an important biodiversity hotspot, yet it’s one of the most vulnerable forest ecosystems in the world, with only 16,500h of forest remaining in a park of more than 80,000h.
It is also one of the least explored of all tropical forests.
Source/Story: BBC Earth News – Rare deer reveals signs of life.
