I had always feared that the unchecked ‘invasion’ of Munnar and its environs by tourists had driven the Indian spotted chevrotain (or mouse deer as it’s commonly called) deep into the inaccessible interiors of the hill-resort, never to be seen again. Having last seen one, fleetingly, at daybreak in neighbouring Valparai way back in 2004, I never expected to be favoured with another sighting again. I was, therefore, elated when, while returning after Christmas mass well past midnight last year, the car’s headlights picked out a pair of mouse deer nimbly nipping across the road into a tea field hardly a kilometre from my home! It made Christmas day doubly delightful for me.
The smallest of the ungulates, the mouse deer is one of the least noticed and seen denizens of the wilds. Its elusiveness stems in no small measure from the excellent camouflage provided by the mottled markings on its body. These help it to blend unseen with its environment, more so when it remains…