Forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) is a globally endangered species, and its conservation has long been a matter of concern. Wild populations are scarce, while artificially captive populations are also constrained by health issues such as digestive system diseases. To reveal the differences in gut microbiota between captive and wild forest musk deer from different geographical regions, fecal samples were collected from captive individuals in Nanyang, Henan (HN) and Gaoping, Shanxi (SX), as w