Hangul Hunt in Kashmir | Dachigam National Park | #kashmir #wildlife #hangul #hunting

Hangul in Kashmir is Known to be the Pride of Kashmir. The Hangul, the state animal of Jammu & Kashmir, is restricted to the Dachigam National Park Srinagar. From a population of 5,000 in the early 1900s, the Hangul’s numbers have constantly declined over the decades, making it largely confined to the 141 square kilometres of Dachigam National Park. Some studies suggest that small isolated Hangul herds of five to ten have been reported from adjoining areas of Dachigam which include Shikargah-Tral and the Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary in south Kashmir. The Hangul was once widely distributed in the mountains of Kashmir and parts of Chamba district in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh. But, now, the IUCN’s Red List has classified it as Critically Endangered and is similarly listed under the Species Recovery Programme of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Environmental Information System (ENVIS) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). 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.  According to the latest survey in 2017, the population of Hangul is 182 in Dachigam and adjoining areas. Earlier population estimates suggest that there were 197 deer in 2004 and 186 in 2015. Experts don’t expect any positive change in the population growth of the Hangul.    The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red Data Book — which contains lists of species at risk of extinction — has declared the Hangul as one of three species that were critically endangered in Jammu and Kashmir. The other two are the Markhor — the world’s largest species of wild goat found in Kashmir and several regions of central Asia — and the Tibetan antelope or ‘Chiru’, found mostly in the mountainous regions of Mongolia and the Himalayas, where Jammu and Kashmir is mostly situated. Music: Watching The Stars By Lesfm From Pixabay Mindfulness Relaxation & Meditation By John Kensy Music From Pixabay Video: Rouf Rather & Ovais Shafi The purpose of this video is show You the Beauty of Hangul (The Pride of Kashmir) and to gain some knowledge about them and to play our role in the Conservation and Protection of the Species.