2 endangered Hangul species get new home at Shikargah in Tral

Pulwama, July 17: There is good news for wildlife enthusiasts and conservation activists from south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
The Conservation and Breeding Centre for Hangul at Shikargah Tral has got two guests after the wildlife department has been able to move two female individuals of Kashmiri stag, Cervus Hanglu, into it.
WildLife Warden, Shopian Division, Intisar Suhail said that the capture of these two female individuals of Kashmiri Stag carries a huge significance because it is the only place in the world where you have two individuals of critically endangered species of Hangul in captivity.
He informed Rising Kashmir that they were monitoring the movement of a few individuals of the Kashmiri stag in Shikargah area of Tral for the past eight months .
He added that some individuals were at times moving close to the conservation and breeding centre.
“We were successful in luring two female individuals into the paddock in a smooth way without handling,” he said, adding that with the help of CCTV cameras they have been monitoring for the last two months.
“They are behaving normally and are in good health,” he said, adding that this is an off display facility because we want to ensure that the species don’t get disturbed by any sort of hindrances.
“This is a scientific project for conservation of a wildlife species,” he said, adding that no one is allowed inside unless there is some emergency.
The Wildlife Warden further said that they are hopeful of getting a male member into the centre for starting the breeding programme.
“There are around three male members of Hangul in Shikargah forests in a population of 14,” he said.
Hangul or Kashmiri stag has been listed as critically endangered by IUCN ( International Union of Conservation of Nature Natural Resources) and the species is restricted to Dachigam National Park, Shikargah Tral and few other pockets in Jammu and Kashmir like Overa-Aru wildlife sanctuary.
“ We know that its numbers are declining, it has stabilised during the past few years but recruitment is not as good as it should have been,” he said, adding that it is for these reasons that the animal has been selected for conservation and breeding.
He revealed that a number of in -situ and ex -situ measures have been taken to conserve the critically endangered Hangul species in Jammu and Kashmir. One such measure is the establishment of the Conservation and Breeding Centre for Hangul at Shikargah Tral.
The officer narrated that infrastructure for this project monitored by Central Zoo Authority of India was almost complete three years ago which was modified as per recommendations of the Zoo Authority and officials from other coordinating institutions from time to time.
The wildlife warden said that earlier it was decided that few members of Hangul species from Dachigam National Park, where the wild animal is present in good numbers, would be transferred into the Conservation and Breeding Centre at Tral but that plan was modified.
“The animal is very delicate and susceptible to handling,” he said, adding that to avoid any trauma or injury to the species they decided to find a parental stock from Shikargah forests .
He narrated that a census in Shikargah forests was carried out in 2021 with the help of camera traps and a population of 14 species including male, female and fawn was found.
The officer said that they focused on this population from Shikargah and habituated them in a gradual manner to lure them into the paddock.
The wildlife officials were successful in getting two female members within the facility and are very optimistic to get a male member too to start the much needed breeding programme.
WildLife Warden, Intisar Suhail, informed that the breeding season of Hangul commences in October which has given them some time to study the behaviour of the two female members.
“Three male members are existing in the wild population outside, we will try to lure them in a similar way,” he said, adding that conservation and breeding programmes are both time and resource consuming.