Endangered Kashmir stags' sight enthuses Wildlife Department

Srinagar, March 2

A video showing a large herd of Kashmir stag, known locally as hangul, an endangered species, has given hope that the conservation efforts of the government have started yielding positive results.

The video, uploaded on Twitter by a senior official of the Wildlife Department, shows around 50 hanguls on the snow-covered slopes of Dachigam national park in the Zabarwan mountain range. The future seems bright, Raashid Naqash, Wildlife Warden, posted alongside the video. In early 20th century, their numbers estimated to be around 5,000. Due to hunting and other factors, the number fell to just around 150 in 1970.

The UT government, along with the IUCN and WWF, had started a conservation plan titled Project Hangul. —