Shy, elusive, and critically endangered, the only population of the Kashmir red deer is found on a small patch of protected land in Jammu and Kashmir’s Dachigam National Park
Text by: Anita Rao Kashi
Photos by: Dhritiman Mukherjee
Shy, elusive, and critically endangered, the only population of the Kashmir red deer is found on a small patch of protected land in Jammu and Kashmir’s Dachigam National Park
Dachigam National Park is less than an hour from Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. The park is a 141-sq-km protected region with an elevation range of 1,300 to 4,200 m, comprising deciduous woodland, dense riverine habitats, and alpine vegetation. Due to this topography, the park is home to several species: snow leopards, common leopards, Himalayan marmots, and Himalayan black bears. But none is as rare and special as the hangul (Cervus hanglu hanglu), also called the Kashmir stag or the Kashmir red deer. The name hangul apparently comes from its favourite food, the Indian horse chestnut (Aesculus indica) or Himalayan horse chestnut, locally called han.
So rare is the hangul that the entire global population currently stands at around 260, having suffered a drastic reduction from its pre-independence numbers of 3,000-5,000. The IUCN Red List has designated it Critically Endangered, and it is on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) list as well. The hangul is believed to have once roamed freely from Kishtwar National Park in eastern Kashmir to Gurez on the northern Line of Control (LOC), but not anymore. It is now geographically restricted and found only in Dachigam National Park, with isolated populations in the surrounding areas. This large herbivore faces the risk of extinction as its limited habitat is continuously encroached.
The hangul is a Central Asian red deer species that was earlier thought to be a subspecies of the European red deer but was designated a separate species in 2017. It is genetically close to the Bactrian (Bukhara) deer and the Yarkand deer but differentiated by colour from them, according to Dr Khursheed Ahmad, Senior Scientist and Head of Wildlife Sciences at Srinagar’s Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), who has been studying and monitoring them for over 20 years.
Hanguls are usually a greyish-dark brown, paler at the sides, underside, and inner and lower sides of the limbs; males are usually darker than females. Their fur could get darker during winter owing to denser growth. These are large deer: Males are typically larger than females and can weigh up to 150-250 kg; females are around 110-170 kg. Stags (males) are around 180-200 cm in length and 100-135 cm in height at the shoulder, while hinds (females) are 180-195 cm in head-body length and 110-120 cm in height.
Female hanguls mature, become sexually active, and can start breeding by age two, while males mature at three. As in other deer species, pregnancy lasts 6-7 months, and the female gives birth to one fawn (rarely two) around May-June. Based on data extrapolated from related species, such as the Bukhara deer, their life span is estimated at about 20 years.
“Hangul are not easy to spot. They are shy and quickly disappear into oak patches when they sense a human nearby,” says wildlife photographer Dhritiman Mukherjee. “I have been photographing them during different seasons for 10-12 years, and it is never easy,” he says of his experience. The only time it is relatively easy to hear and track them is during the rutting season. Besides humans, leopards and black bears are believed to be predators of the hangul.
During the rutting (mating) season, it becomes relatively easier to spot the elusive animal since there is a lot of activity. Stags constantly chase hinds and emit distinctive rutting calls, with their muzzles slightly raised at an angle. It is a harsh, loud call that sounds like a roar. In other seasons, the males and females live separately; the females in groups of 2-18, while the males live alone. Outside the rutting season, there are no calls, and since males aren’t chasing females, the animals tend to be quiet and elusive.
As with most other deer species, male hanguls have antlers that can have up to 16 points; the number of points defines how dominating an alpha male will be. They shed antlers in March-April, and grow them back a few months later. By end-September, the antlers have hardened in time for the rutting season (September-October); on occasion, rutting has been noticed well into November. The antlers are crucial for fighting off competitors while vying for female attention. Mating usually happens during the day, but camera traps have also recorded rutting calls at night, a surprising discovery since hanguls are not known to be nocturnal.
Like other deer, hanguls are herbivores, feeding on leaves, flowers, and shoots. They are both grazers and browsers. However, their feeding pattern changes from season to season based on their habitat in Dachigam National Park (1) and surrounding areas. With the arrival of autumn and trees shedding their leaves, hanguls are partial to creepers. As snow covers the ground and winter progresses, the greenery gradually vanishes. Since most of the hangul population is within the national park, local forest authorities provide supplementary food, but only those habituated to humans may feed on it. The others fend for themselves even during unforgiving weather. In winter, hanguls have been spotted digging the frozen ground for roots and buried vegetation.
The hangul’s diminishing population is a matter of deep concern. Dr Ahmad says they face twin pressures — anthropogenic (human activity-influenced) and ecological. The former is due to hunting, habitat degradation via excessive livestock grazing in alpine pastures, and poaching. They also face ecological pressures from low breeding, a female-biased sex ratio (more females than males), and low calf survival. Despite conservation efforts, not much seems to have helped this deer. One significant activity undertaken by the state government is spreading salt in the national park throughout the year and supplying fodder during the harsh winter. In addition, conservation initiatives have been undertaken in collaboration with the SKUAST, Wildlife Institute of India, and the USA-based Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.
is an independent journalist, travel and food writer based in Bangalore, India. With over 28 years of experience, she has written for the BBC, South China Morning Post and Nikkei Asian Review. When not writing, she's reading, listening to music, cooking, or eating, and considers the forest to be her bolthole.
is one of India's most prolific wildlife and conservation photographers. His work has been featured in leading publications. He is also a RoundGlass Ambassador, and an RBS Earth Hero awardee.
