CHENGDU, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Police in southwest China's Sichuan Province are investigating the deaths of more than 10 forest musk deer, which have the country's highest level of protection.
On Wednesday, villagers spotted the bodies of the animals on a mountain in Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze before finding over 200 wire snares on the mountainside, a spokesman with the county's forest police said on Friday.
The villagers reported their finding to the police the same day.
Forest musk deer, the smallest of all musk deer species, are hunted by poachers because musk they secrets is believed to have high medicinal value and is a precious natural perfume.