Captured rare white mousdeer draws visitors to villager's house in Langkawi

LANGKAWI: A rare white mousedeer has been drawing scores of curious visitors to the house of a wild honey collector in Kampung Buluh Penyumpit, here, since he captured the animal a week ago.
Jismani Hasan, 41, said the mousedeer, about 17 centimetres in height, was found while it was drinking water at a stream when he went into the jungle near his village to look for honey last Wednesday.
"At first, I was scared when I saw the white mousedeer as it was already dusk at that time. Previously, I had on several occasions in the jungle, only come across mousedeer in their usual brown colour," he said when met at his house today.
Jismani, who was with his son, was determined to catch it by using the fishing net he brought along.
The mousedeer managed to flee but they gave chase and caught it, besides catching a normal-coloured mousedeer which happened to be near the white one.
Since news of the capture of the male white mousedeer, which Jismani has named Awang Putih, spread, his house located near the foothills, has been visited by many people eager to see the animal.
Jismani said about 14 years ago, his grandfather, Ahmad Yom, a traditional medicine practitioner, came across a white macaque (kera) near a rubber smallholding in Bukit Temin, here.
Jismani, who is also into traditional medicine, said since he had Awang Putih, his income has increased a little.
This white mousedeer is the second to be found in 14 years after the first on March 23, 2001 in the Bukit Tekuh forest reserve, here. – Bernama