Leopard kills endangered Hangul in Tral forest area
Srinagar, Mar 16: A hangul (Kashmir stag) has been killed by a leopard in Tral forests during the intervening night of Tuesday-Wednesday, officials said.
An official said that the corpse of a female hangul was found on Wednesday morning in Shikargah area of Tral.
They said that the corpse of hangul is in their custody now and further decisions will be taken accordingly by the higher ups.
He added that the killing of hangul has made it clear that there is presence of endangered Kashmir Stag in Shikargah forests.
Pertinently, Hangul is a subspecies of Central Asian red deer endemic to Kashmir. It is found in dense riverine forests in the high valleys and mountains of the Kashmir Valley and northern Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh.
In Kashmir, it is found at Dachigam National Park where it receives protection but elsewhere it is more at risk.
The Hangul is considered equally significant to the state of Jammu & Kashmir as the tiger is to the whole of India. It is the only Asiatic survivor or sub-species of the European red deer. But the state animal’s decreasing population remains a big concern. (KNO)
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