The alpine musk deer, Moschus chrysogaster, a small member of family Moschidae, is a primitive deer threatened due to poaching and habitat loss, and therefore classified as Endangered by IUCN and also listed in Appendix I of CITES. Although the species is legally protected in India under Wildlife Protection Act 1972, conservation of the species requires better understanding of its distribution and resource-use pattern; therefore, a study on its feeding and habitat ecology was conducted from February 2011 to February 2014, at Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary.

Out of seven species of Musk deer found in Asia, five are present in India. One of these species, the Alpine musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster), is found in Uttrakhand Himalayas, is endangered (IUCN 2011) and listed in Appendix I of CITES. This species is also listed in Schedule I of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. The species has been exploited for its „Musk‟ for centuries and due to large scale poaching and extensive habitat destruction, it is restricted to a few isolated pockets in the Himalayas.