In the 1940s, Kashmir’s forests echoed with the calls of thousands of Hanguls. Today, silence has replaced those sounds. Nearly 289 of these stags survive, clinging to the slopes of Dachigam, their struggle reflecting the larger story of vanishing wildlife in the region.
Hangul, or Kashmir stag, inhabits Kashmir’s landscapes. This unique subspecies of the Asian red deer, scientifically known as Cervus hanglu hanglu, holds a special place in the region’s biodiversity. In 2017, the hangul was recognised as a distinct species after being considered a subspecies of the European red deer. Despite being the state animal of Jammu and Kashmir, only 289 hangul remain. Listed as Critically Endangered in IUCN’s Red Data Book and under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, hanguls are on the brink of extinction.
It may be noted that Hangul has been listed as ‘critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The population of Hangul is restricted to Dachigam National Park in Srinagar.
Project Hangul
Hangul placed under schedule-I in the Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife Protection Act, 1978 and in Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, is among the four easternmost distributed subspecies of red deer but presently, the population of Hangul is restricted to Dachigam National Park and adjoining protected areas.
In the 1940s, the population was between 3,000 and 5,000 but this number dropped down to 160 in the 2008 census.
As per the Department of Wildlife Protection, the critically endangered species population in the Kashmir Valley has increased slightly to 261, up from 237 in 2019. The trend began in 2015, when the Hangul population was 186, rising to 197 in 2017 and with numbers projected to exceed 300 by end of 2025.
In its “Management Plan (2011-2016) Dachigam National Park” the department said the poaching by Gujjars, Bakarwals and other shepherds, who take their livestock to Upper Dachigam during summer, is the main cause for the decline in the population of the state animal.
Declining Hangul population
The plan added that the problem of declining Hangul population is compounded by the ‘large scale biotic interference due to grazing by the State Animal Husbandry Department owned cattle that use Dagwan in Upper Dachigam as a grazing ground.’
The master plan reads that in the vast areas of Nageberan and Marser, thousands of sheep, goats, horses and cattle are grazed by local graziers, Gujjars from Kashmir as well as Bakarwals and Banyaris from Jammu that creates a ‘natural competition for food resources’ for Hangul population.
The Dachigam Hangul population decreased from 3,000 in the 1940s to 200 by 1969 while the number of sheep introduced in Dachigam NP in 1961 by the State Animal Husbandry Department increased from 20 to 3,000 during the same period.
The sheep spend the summer in Upper Dachigam and winter in Lower Dachigam. High livestock densities may out-compete native Trans-Himalayan wild ungulates. Empirical studies in the adjoining areas of Spiti, Himachal Pradesh have established that the Bharal gets out-competed by livestock. The Deer and sheep have similar preferences in grazing and are hence competitive,” reads the Master plan.
Master plan
The master plan, in possession of iamon, further reads that in the vast areas of Nageberan and Marser, thousands of sheep, goat, horses, and cattle are grazed by local graziers, Gujjars from Kashmir as well as Bakarwals and Banyaris from Jammu that creates a ‘natural competition for food resources’ for Hangul population.
The sheep spend the summer in Upper Dachigam and winter in Lower Dachigam. High livestock densities may out-compete native Trans-Himalayan wild ungulates. Empirical studies in the adjoining areas of Spiti, Himachal Pradesh have established that the Bharal gets outcompeted by livestock. The Deer and sheep have similar preferences in grazing and are hence competitive,” reads the Master plan.
According to Master Plan, the decline in the number of hangul has been associated with poaching, increase in predator numbers, grazing of domestic livestock in summer grounds, and zoonotic diseases.
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