Project Hangul

Project Hangul is defined as the project for the conservation and protection of critically endangered Kashmir Stag. The Kashmir stag is referred to as Hangul in the native state. The project Hangul is important as it is considered with the conservation of the Hangul which is categorized as critically endangered according to the IUCN. 

The Kashmir stag or Hangul is scientifically known as Cervus Canadensis hangul, is a subspecies of the elk which is native to Kashmir. It is found in the high valleys and dense river forests of the mountains of the Kashmir Valley and the Changba region in northern Himachal Pradesh. In Kashmir, it was found in Dachigam National Park, where it is protected, but elsewhere it faces greater risks. 

In the 1941s, the population was between 3,000 and 5,000, but habitat destruction, overgrazing, and poaching led to a sharp decline in the population. According to the census report published in 2019 by the government of India, there were only 237 Hangul left in the country. This further necessitated the Project Hangul which deals with the conservation of the Kashmir stag. 

The article deals with the study of Project Hangul. Kashmir stag and conservation status. It also answers the question of what is project Hangul. Apart from this, the article is focused on the description of the physical appearance of Hangul, it also describes the taxonomic classification of the Hangul. The distribution and ecology of this critically endangered animal are also mentioned in the article.

Kashmir Stag: The Appearance of Hangul

This deer, the Kashmir stag, has a slight rump, excluding the tail. Its coat is brown with mottled hair. The inside of the buttocks is off-white, there is a line on the inside of the thigh, and the top of the tail is black. Each rod consists of five-pointed ends. The beam is bent strongly inward, and the tabs and helical teeth are usually close together and above the burr.

Their fur is brown with spots on the fur. 4,444 males have majestic horns from 11 to 16 points and long hair on the neck, while females do not have these characteristics. Kashmir deer change their brown fur with the seasons and ages. In summer, their coats look brighter than in other seasons. The color will fade in the summer, but it will brighten with a denser winter coat, on the large deer, it is very dark or tan. 

The sides and extremities are paler. The male's abdomen is dark brown. The size of the tail is relatively short. The white buttocks patches do not extend much above the tail and are separated by a broad middle stripe that extends to the base of the tail and sometimes to the tip. 

In male stags, the hair on the top of the neck is long and thick. The hair on the lower part of the neck is long and fluffy, in different colors such as gray-brown, brown, or dark liver. The male's abdomen is dark brown.

Fawns have obvious spots in the first weeks of life, after which these spots will quickly disappear. A normal head has five points in each corner.

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Distribution and Ecology of Kashmir Stag

The Kashmir stag or Hangul lives in groups of 2 to 18 in dense river forests, high valleys, and mountains in the valley of Kashmir and Chamba in northern Himachal Pradesh. In Kashmir, it appears in the Dachigam National Park (and its area close to 3035 meters above sea level), the Rajparian Wildlife Sanctuary, Overa Aru, the Sind Valley, and the Kishtwar and Bhaderwah forests.

The general habitat of Kashmir stag is described as a riverside creature, as they prefer to live in dense riparian forests in valleys between 1,700 and 3,600 meters high, and they also like to live in mountainous areas. In winter the Hanguls move in low places and during summer they move in high places.

The General Behavior of the Hangul

The knowledge of general behavior specific to the Kashmir stag is important to understand the Project Hangul: Kashmir stag and conservation status. This helps in creating a better understanding of the animal. 

The antlers generally fall off between March and April. After which most deer will go uphill and gather around the snow line. Kashmir stag is a social animal. They live in groups of 2 to 18 stags and are very found single. Kashmiri deer is a herbivore that feeds on flowers, leaves, and tender shrubs. They also feed on lichens, mosses, ferns, and fungi. 

The age of sexual maturity is 2 to 3 years for men and 1 to 3 years for women. The breeding season is between September and October. Towards the end of September, the new antlers hardened. They began to roar and challenge as a process of asserting dominance for reproduction. 

There is usually one offspring per female. The gestation period (the term of pregnancy) is 7 to 8 months. After reproduction the fawns along with the female stag will also leave the lower part of the valley and move uphill, where the best and most nutritious pastures are available and will raise her cubs in these places until the weather turns bad, forcing them to descend again. The half-life of Kashmir deer is 15-20 years.

Taxonomic Classification of Hangul

The taxonomic classification is the system in which animals are classified in to different categories and hierarchical orders based on the similarities and dissimilarities with other animals. It is done to develop a better phylogenetic and evolutionary understanding of an animal. The taxonomic classification of Hanguls is mentioned below.

• Kingdom - Animalia

• Phylum- Chordata

• Class- Mammalia

• Order- Artiodactyla

• Family- Cervidae

• Subfamily- Cervinae

• Genus- Cervus

• Species-  Cervus Canadensis

The scientific name according to the binomial nomenclature is Cervus elaphus hangul.

Kashmir Stag: Critically Endangered Hangul

In the 1940s, the population of Hangul was between 3,000 and 5,000, but overgrazing and poaching of livestock caused the destruction of its habitat. In the 1970s, the number was reduced to 150. However, Jammu and Kashmir have prepared a project to protect these animals together with IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature). It was named the Hangul project. This brought great results, and the population increased to more than 340 in 1980.

The population status and threats to the species were prominently studied by the wildlife expert and former wildlife official Mohammad Qasim Wani. He indicated the threatening decrease in the stag populations. According to the 2019 census, there are only 237 Kashmir stags were present with a sex ratio of 15.5 males per 100 females and 15.5 fawns per 100 females.

Project Hangul

The question “what is Project Hangul?” is already discussed in the article, this is a conservatory step attempted to restore the native population of the Kashmir stags also known as Hangul. This project was started in 1970 by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir along with the support of IUCN and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).  

The Kashmir deer conservation and protection project called the “Project Hangul” created a positive impact and the population increased to 340 in 1980. The five-year project cost about 16.77 billion in Indian currency, which includes captive breeding of endangered deer and other protection and protection measures.

The Hangul conservation project was further extended in the year of 2010. According to the Hangul Conservation Project in 2010, the Wildlife Conservation Fund was established to protect the wildlife and wild animals in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, starting with the protection of Kashmir stag. This was achieved through community support, awareness, and wildlife management. The project also aimed to change attitudes towards nature and promote harmony between humans and animals.

The Hangul Conservation Project was started by the Wildlife Conservation Fund. WCF aims to solve problems related to various threats to the lives of Hangul ​​in Kashmir (especially in Dachigam National Park). It should be noted that the project did not achieve the expected goals because the local population did not participate in the project. Furthermore, the project is restricted to Dagwan with a radius of 10 kilometers. Additionally, the wildlife was more fragmented as the government allowed the construction of cement factories that further segmented the wildlife population.

Mentioned below in the table is a list of the year-wise population of the Kashmir stags.

List of the Year-Wise Population of the Kashmir Stags

Conclusion

In conclusion of the article, the project Hangul was aimed to restore the population of Kashmir stags which was moderately successful, the number of stags has increased but the species is still categorized under the critically endangered animals under the IUCN red list. The most distinctive feature of the Kashmir stag: the appearance of Hangul is the large antlers of the animal.