The Musk Deer Invasion of North America

Scenario: In the early 1930s, an eccentric wildlife enthusiast named Cornelius Van Der Hoorn, who possessed immense wealth and an adventurous spirit, embarked on a voyage to Siberia and Africa to capture and bring back unusual animals to his sprawling estate in the Pacific Northwest. Among the creatures he successfully brought back were the Siberian Musk Deer and the Water Chevrotains. His estate mimicked the natural environments of these animals, with temperate forests and wetlands spread across thousands of acres. Van Der Hoorn housed these animals on his massive estate, where they started breeding. His plan was to introduce them to North America and observe how they interact with new environments. His intentions were not malicious; he merely wished to study adaptations and changes in their behaviours. Suddenly, in 1934, a catastrophic wildfire ravaged his property, freeing the captive animals, including the Siberian Musk deer and the Water Chevrotains, into the surrounding forestry. Due to the near-simulated habitats on his estate, these escaped animals found the North American forests and wetlands not too different to adapt. Musk Deer found their home in the temperate and subtropical parts of North America. Bounded by their meanderings for water and predators' absence, they slowly began moving eastward, adapting to different forest environments along their journey. In the meantime, Water Chevrotain found the abundant wetlands of the Mississippi river system conducive to their lifestyle. Utilizing the river as a highway, Water Chevrotains steadily migrated upstream and downstream across the vast North American continent. Despite occasional sightings, these non-native species' presence was not officially acknowledged until the mid-20th century when wildlife biologists trapped a pair of Siberian Musk deer in the Adirondacks and a herd of Water Chevrotains in the swamps of Louisiana. Experts found that these species were not only surviving but thriving in their new homes, having successfully established breeding populations that spread across diverse regions of North America. These species managed to adapt in various unknown environments, demonstrating magnificent resilience and a testament of nature's profound ability to diversify and occupy every corner of the world.