Poonch (J & K), Nov. 19 : A Musk deer that had lost one of its hind legs was implanted with an artificial leg, thanks to the initiative of local forest officials.

Following the implant, the deer can walk again using all its four legs.

Three months ago the Divisional Forest Officer learnt that a rare breed of stray musk deer was in the Poonch region having one of its legs chopped.

The forest department rescued the deer from the forest. It was given initial medical treatment by a local veterinary doctor. Later, the forest officials contacted Pritam Spiritual Trust, a well-known NGO in the area for help.

"We contacted people in Delhi who told me that there is a trust in Bombay which implants artificial legs to animals, " said Professor Jagbir Singh, the Chairman of Pritam Spiritual Trust in Poonch.

Mohamad Aslam, a worker with the Pritam Spiritual Trust who himself has an artificial leg, volunteered to take care of the deer. Efforts of the forest officials and the Trust paid off and an artificial leg was prepared and implanted successfully.

"I am working with the Pritam Trust. The animal (deer) which was walking on three legs is now walking on all its four legs, " said Aslam, a local.

Found in Himalaya ranges, Musk deer is a rare species of deer known for its scent.

Musk deer is small, with a stocky build, and hind legs are longer than the front legs. Weighing between seven to 17 kilograms, they are approximately 80-100 cm in length and 50-70 cm tall at the shoulder.

The feet of musk deer are adapted for climbing in rough terrain. Like the Chinese Water Deer, a cervid, they have no antlers, but the males do have enlarged upper canines, forming sabre-like tusks.

Musk deer are herbivores, living in hilly, forested environments, generally far from human habitation. Like any common deer, they eat mainly leaves, flowers, and grasses, with some mosses and lichens. They are solitary animals, and maintain well-defined territories, which they scent mark with their caudal glands (at or near tail).

Musk deer are generally shy, and either nocturnal, or crepuscular that are primarily active during the twilight.

Males leave their territories during the mating season, and compete for mates, using their tusks as weapons. (ANI)