Srinagar 16-Mar; Kashmiri stag (Hangul) was killed by a leopard in Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district during intervening night, officials said on Wednesday. An official confirmed that a Hangul was found dead on Wednesday morning in Shikargah area of Tral which had been killed by a leopard.The official said the watch and ward staff posted for protection of the endangered species of deer were not present at the time of the attack.“The corpse of hangul is in our custody now and further decisions will be taken accordingly by the higher-ups. Adding that the killing of hangul has made it clear that there is the presence of endangered Kashmir Stag in Shikargah forests”, official added. Pertinently, 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. 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.(CNS)
