Outlook for the musk deer

Musk deer in Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan are lsted in CITES Appendix 1 and banned form all international trade. All other deer populations fall under Appendix 11 (controlled trade) [1].
While there may be some hope in farming musk deer (the males do not have to be killed to obtain the musk), the deer are very difficult to raise in captivity [2], and musk deer farming has to counter susceptibility to disease, fighting and the fact that farmed deer produce smaller amounts of poorer quality musk. It has been suggested that open range farming or collecting musk from wild deer without killing them might be viable alternatives [3].

1. Mending the Web of Life, Elizabeth Call, 2006.
2. TRAFFIC examines musk deer farming in China.
3. www.arkive.org/siberian-musk-deer/moschus-moschiferus/