Ecology

Conserving Hangul: The Kashmir’s Pride

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Sabreen Nazir

The Kashmir Stag or Hangul, Cervus hanglu hanglu, was earlier considered a subspecies of the European red deer and now the subspecies of Tarim Red deer (Cervus hanglu) is presently distributed in Dachigam National Park and its adjoining Protected areas. Hangul was once distributed widely in the mountains of Kashmir. A small population existed outside Jammu & Kashmir in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh which is now extinct. At present, the only viable population of red deer in Kashmir is confined to 141 Km² Dachigam National Park (DNP), with a few isolated hangul herds in its adjoining protected areas. The hangul population is significantly inbred and exhibits a low genetic diversity in comparison to other deer populations of the world. Hangul spends most of its time in high mountain meadows in the alpine and sub-alpine zones or in the bottom of river Daghwan in Dachigam National Park. Hangul is reported to show a preference for mid-altitudes between 1700-2300 m and mostly for south-facing slopes. Autumn is the rutting season for the magnificent Kashmir Red deer. The mating season starts in September and extends up to November. The gestation period of 249-262 days (8 to 8½ months) results in single birth (twins are rare). This low annual production is offset by high investment in protective maternal care. Hangul gives birth in late May or early June. Females are sexually active between sixteen months to 02 years and males attain sexual maturity at the age of around 03 years, although young males do not usually mate due to competition from the more mature stags. The mean life expectancy is about 10 years. The highest period of mortality is in their first year, with over 80% of these deaths occurring within the first week of birth. Vulnerability during this period is dependent upon weather and predation. Due to its restricted range distribution, very low population size and great conservation concern, this species is listed as schedule 1 species under Wildlife Protection Act 1972 (amended in 2012). It has recently been upgraded as a critically endangered species by IUC

Threats

The estimated population at the beginning of the 1900s were about 3000-5000 which had declined to about 1000-2000 by 1947 and was subsequently reported as low as 180- 250 in 1965 and 140-170 in 1970. The current Hangul population figures range from 150-237 as per the latest census conducted by the wildlife department in 2019. Grazing by domestic livestock in the upper altitudes of the park, poaching, natural resource extraction by locals, predation and loss of habitat have all been the possible causes of the decline of the Hangul population in the past. The fragmentation of habitat has hampered the genetic flow across its different populations. A number of studies on Hangul suggest that disease transmission from sheep and goats also makes the species vulnerable. Hangul, a critically endangered species is near to its extinction due to many factors including physical, biological and other anthropogenic disturbances. Physical factors include poaching, fuelwood and timber extraction, grass cutting, overgrazing, charcoal making, fishing and construction of cement factories and golf courses near its habitat. Studies have indicated Female biased sex ratio, low female-to-fawn ratio, population inbreeding and fawn survival due to excessive predation by leopards as the main biological factors responsible for the decline of the Hangul population. The current trends indicate an imbalance of sex and fawn-female ratio with fewer males and fawns per 100 females which is alarming.

Conservation measures

The lack of implementation of scientific monitoring programmes to track the population response under rapidly changing scenarios has left no information to take corrective measures in time. The breeding centre was set up in Shikargah in the Tral region, Pulwama district, South Kashmir in 2011, but there is still no hangul in captivity. A collaboration among the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Department of Wildlife Protection, J&K and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun to initiate conservation breeding of Hangul is in place. Preventing the incursion of nomadic livestock herders will reduce competition with livestock for grazing grounds and reduce the potential for disease transmission. Such measures are expected to increase the survival rates of fawns by reducing depredation by herding dogs. Mapping, protecting, and enriching forest patches where Hangul habitat remains should be undertaken, based on thorough scientific study. Conservation breeding has to be given high priority to safeguarding Hangul.

 

The Author is is a PhD Scholar at the Faculty of Forestry, SKUAST-K. She can be reached at sabreennazir1995@gmail.com

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