Rare deer-like species photographed for first time in wild

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Rare deer-like species photographed for first time in wild

2019-11-12 18:04 Last Updated At：18:10

A tiny deer-like species not seen by scientists for nearly 30 years has been photographed in a forest in southern Vietnam, a conservation group said Tuesday.

Images of the silver-backed chevrotain, commonly called the Vietnamese mouse deer, were captured in the wild by trap cameras, Global Wildlife Conservation said.

It said the rabbit-sized animal is not a deer or a mouse, despite its nickname, but is the world's smallest hoofed mammal.

They are shy and solitary, have two tiny fangs, appear to walk on the tips of their hooves, and have a silver sheen, the group said.

"For so long this species has seemingly only existed as part of our imagination. Discovering that it is, indeed, still out there, is the first step in ensuring we don't lose it again, and we're moving quickly now to figure out how best to protect it," said An Nguyen, a conservation scientist at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, a partner of GWC in the project.

The chevrotain was first described in 1910 by four people. A fifth sighting was reported in 1990 in central Vietnam, making it one of the rarest animals in the world, GWC said in a statement.

An and his team set up camera traps after receiving reports from local villagers and forest rangers of the animals. The cameras took some 1,800 photos of the species over a period of 5 months.

"The rediscovery of the silver-backed chevrotain provides big hope for the conservation of biodiversity, especially threatened species, in Vietnam," Hoang Minh Duc, head of Vietnam's Southern Institute of Ecology's Department of Zoology, was quoted as saying by GWC.

"This also encourages us, together with relevant and international partners, to devote time and effort to further investigation and conservation of Vietnam's biodiversity heritage," Duc said.

Wildlife in Vietnam face many threats including poaching and habitat loss due to urbanization.

Real Madrid ousted from Copa by 2nd-division club Albacete in debut of coach Arbeloa

MADRID (AP) — Álvaro Arbeloa got off to a dismal start as the new coach of Real Madrid, seeing his team lose to second-division club Albacete 3-2 and drop out of the Copa del Rey in the round of 16 on Wednesday.

Jefté Betancor scored the game-winning goal four minutes into stoppage time to send Albacete to the quarterfinals. Gonzalo García had also scored in added time for Madrid to even the match at 2-2.

Madrid struggled from the start in the debut of Arbeloa, the club's former B-team coach who on Monday was picked to replace Xabi Alonso following a tumultuous eight-month stint at the helm.

“At this club, even a draw is bad, a tragedy, imagine a defeat like this, especially against a lower-division opponent," Arbeloa said. "If anyone is responsible, it’s me, as I’m the one who made the decisions regarding the lineup, how we wanted to play, and the substitutions. I can only thank the players for the welcome they gave me and help them recover physically and mentally.”

Arbeloa used a few B-team players as expected, but he drew some criticism for resting many of his top stars, including Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, Thibaut Courtois and Rodrygo. Vinícius Júnior started, but was mostly ineffective as Madrid had difficulty creating scoring opportunities.

Arbeloa said he had “no regrets” about his squad choice.

“I was convinced that the squad was the right one," Arbeloa said. “It was a great team, the starting lineup and the bench. I have a very talented squad and it’s not easy for them to do everything I’ve asked of them in just one day with a new coach. I feel ultimately responsible.”

Veteran defender Dani Carvajal, who entered the game in the second half, said Madrid fans deserved an apology after the team's performance.

“We are not going through our best moment,” he said. “Everyone has to give a lot more.”

Albacete sits in 17th-place in the 22-team second-division standings. It hadn't won in five consecutive games in all competitions.

The hosts had gotten on the board first with Javier Villar scoring with a header off a corner kick in the 42nd and Franco Mastantuono equalized from close range three minutes into first-half stoppage time. Betancor put Albacete back in front in the 82nd with a shot from inside the area after the Madrid defense failed to fully clear a cross into the box.

“It’s the greatest thing in football and it happened today," Betancor said. "I’m so happy for my team, everyone worked like crazy. I’m very, very happy.”

Madrid was coming off a 3-2 loss to Barcelona in the final of the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. It trails Barcelona by four points at the halfway point in the Spanish league, and sits in seventh place in the league phase of the Champions League. Madrid's next match is at home on Saturday against Levante in the Spanish league.

Like Alonso, the 42-year-old Arbeloa played several years for Madrid. He has been with the club for 20 years, having coached many of its youth squads.

As a player, Arbeloa helped Madrid win eight titles from 2009-16, including two European Cups and one Spanish league. He also helped Spain win the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships.

In other meetings between first-division clubs, Rayo Vallecano lost 2-0 at Alaves and Real Betis beat Elche 2-1 at home.

Rayo played with 10 men from the 69th as Isi Palazón was sent off. Ezequiel Ávila scored twice, including an 80th-minute winner, as Betis rallied from behind against Elche.

On Tuesday, Atletico Madrid beat second-division club Deportivo La Coruña 1-0.

Barcelona visits Racing Santander — the second-tier leader — on Thursday.

The round of 16 is played in single elimination games.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer