Millireppa blessed us the Musk deer
Day fourth of our field in Manang Valley, where the thin air carried the faint scent of fir forest, and the only sounds were the crunch of boots and murmuring between me, Ryan Lionel Moore, and the glacial streams on the alpine trail. We were murmuring a lot about Snow Leopard and the Snow Leopard Haven, one of the elusive large cats of the mountains, and the iconic place in the Himalayas to see them, as we were both interested in seeing those cats. We sighted some birds, a group of blue sheep and a couple of pikas, but not the Musk deer, and an obvious; Snow Leopard. We were returning from Milarepa cave way back from a brief spiritual visit to the sacred cave, nestled high above the valley cliffs, where a Tibetan yogi and poet, Milarepa, meditated and attained spiritual enlightenment.
On our descent through a silent stretch of fir forest, the weather began to shift. A light fog crept through the trees, dimming the light but amplifying the scent of damp earth and moss. I was scanning on the right side of the trail, probably Moore was doing the same on the opposite side. Suddenly, a subtle movement caught Moore’s eye and glazed — a flash of soft brown fur among the underbrush, about fifteen meters off the trail.
Moore froze and whispered, “Musk deer”. I turned towards the direction where Moore’s eyes were pointing. The musk deer, notoriously shy and primarily nocturnal, had become somewhat of a mythical figure spoken of often. I always kept my compact pair of binoculars within reach and a camera, which was rarely in use.
Slowly, I raised my camera. The creature paused as well, ears alert, nostrils flaring; it was a female musk deer, unmistakable with her rounded snout and lack of the male’s prominent tusks. Her slender form blended seamlessly with the forest shadows. For a few precious moments, the world stood still.
I took a slow breath and pressed the shutter. First click, just to capture the whole thing. Adjusted my lens focus, Second click, keeping the musk deer in focus. The third click, the continuous shoot. Three crisp frames before the deer bounded away before the fourth click, vanishing into the thick undergrowth like a phantom. The whole encounter had lasted under 10 seconds, but it felt timeless.
The images were sharp, the lighting ethereal, and the deer’s large, gentle eyes looked directly at my lens in one frame, a rare, possibly once-in-a-lifetime capture. Just after that, we shared a big smile of satisfaction with each other, and I remembered my past two sightings that I missed taking the shot. A contentment in our hearts, silence between us, and smiles became verbal. Bottom of my heart spoke, thanked Mr. Ryan Lionel Moore, and thanked Millireppa. “Millireppa blessed us the Musk deer”.
-Pawan Rai,
Program Officer, BIOCOS Nepal
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