A tiger monitoring programme led to a unique finding – the mouse deer which has been spotted after a century. The Chattisgarh forest department found the Indian mouse deer in the Gariyaband district and they have photographic evidence.

Its presence was last reported in 1905 by a British man named Brook from Raipur. Now, after 112 years it was spotted during the fourth phase tiger monitoring programme in Udanti Sitanadi Tiger reserve forests of Gariyaband district.

OP Yadav, field director Udanti Sitanadi confirmed that it was for the first time that the mouse deer species was spotted with photographic evidence. He said that the species will be given protection and a proper habitat with food and water holes. He ensuring least biotic interference and said that extra efforts would be taken to protect the number of Mouse Deer.

 Moiz Ahmed of NNWS said that mouse deer was spotted in the camera trap installed to monitor the movement of tigers in the region. Giving information about the rare species, he said that the animal is cute, gentle and shy in nature, hardly stands to 15 inches on shoulders. It is the smallest descendent of ungulate species (deer specie). Mouse Deer is also known as Indian Chervotain.