Accidental snaring is probably the main cause of the sudden decline in panda numbers during 1970-1980. Yet trappers have long been killing pandas by accident, in snare set for musk deer. The male musk deer is very valuable for its scent gland (or pod), which is used in the manufacture of expensive perfumes and in medicines. Each pod contains about 25 grams of musk –worth $1000. It is the living equivalent of gold. So for people whose monthly wage is $30 to $50, trapping musk deer has an irresistible appeal. As a result some pandas are also killed, strangled in the snares. In Wolong the 1974 census tallied 145 pandas; by 1986 there were only 72.