Srinagar, Jan 4: A male Hangul, also known as the Kashmiri stag, has been introduced at the Hangul Breeding and Conservation Centre in Shikargah, Tral, completing the herd required to begin captive breeding of the critically-endangered species in Jammu and Kashmir.
The animal was tranquilised in Dachigam National Park in November 2025 and relocated to the Tral facility in a planned operation carried out by the Department of Wildlife Protection.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, Wildlife Warden for Central Kashmir, Parvaiz Ahmad said, “The ex-situ Hangul conservation project was restarted in 2023 with the introduction of two female Hanguls. Three more females were habituated in 2024. With the arrival of a male, the centre is now ready to begin breeding.”
Ahmad said the relocation was completed within an hour using camera traps, salt licks, nets, stretchers, and an ambulance, with veterinary supervision to ensure the animal’s safety.
The 2.5-hectare Hangul Breeding and Conservation Centre was developed to address low fawn survival, a key factor behind the species’ decline due to predation and human disturbance in the wild.
Wildlife Warden for Pulwama-Shopian, Suhail Ahmad Wagay, said, “After remaining in a preparatory phase since 2023, the facility is now fully operational with a balanced male-to-female ratio.”
Wagay said the programme aims to improve fawn survival and increase recruitment into the wild population.
Under the plan, fawns will be raised in a controlled environment until they reach the sub-adult stage, after which they will be released.
The facility is secured with chain-link and solar-powered fencing, controlled entry gates and surveillance systems to prevent access by predators such as leopards and feral dogs.
Security was strengthened after a previous attempt failed in 2011, when a Hangul was killed in a leopard attack, leading to the suspension of the project.
The animals are provided a regulated diet, and their behaviour, feeding and breeding activity are monitored through CCTV cameras.
Health checks, including regular deworming, are conducted by a veterinary-led team.
The Hangul, the state animal of Jammu and Kashmir, is a Central Asian red deer species found mainly in Dachigam National Park near Srinagar.
Once numbering between 3000 and 5000 in the early 1900s, the population declined sharply due to habitat loss, poaching, and disturbance.
A 2008 census recorded just 127 Hanguls.
Recent conservation efforts have led to a gradual recovery, with numbers rising from 261 in 2021 to 289 in 2023.
The latest census in 2025 recorded 323 animals.
Recognised as a distinct species in 2017, the Hangul is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Officials said conservation efforts now focus on habitat protection, scientific management, and controlled breeding to stabilise and increase the population.