Kashmir stag
About:
- The Kashmir stag also called hangul is a subspecies of Central Asian red deerendemic to Kashmir and surrounding areas.
- It is found in dense riverine forests in the high valleys and mountains of Jammu and Kashmir and northern Himachal Pradesh.
- In Kashmir, it is found primarily in the Dachigam National Parkwhere it receives protection, and elsewhere it is more at risk.
- In the 1941s, the population was between 3000 and 5000 individuals, but since then habitat destruction, over-grazing by domestic livestock and poaching have reduced population dramatically.
- Earlier believed to be a subspecies of red deer, but a number of mitochondrial DNA genetic studies later had the hangul as a part of the Asian clade of the elk.
Appearance:
- This deer has a light rump patch without including the tail.
- Its coat color is brown with a speckling to the hairs.
- The inner sides of the buttocks are greyish white, followed by a line on the inner sides of the thighs and black on the upper side of the tail.
- It is protected under appendix I of the CITES.
- It is listed under critically endangered list in IUCN.
Distribution:
- This deer lives in groups of two to 18 individuals in dense riverine forests, high valleys, and mountains of the Kashmir valley and northern Chambain Himachal Pradesh.
- In Kashmir, it’s found in the Dachigam National Park(and its nearby areas at elevations of 3,035 meters), Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary, Overa Aru, Sind Valley, and in the forests of Kishtwar& Bhaderwah.
Syllabus: Prelims
