THE LAST OF THE HANGULS

Last year on my travels in Kashmir I considered going down to Dachigam to see the Kashmiri stag with its majestic antlers when my naturalist friend warned me it may be a futile trip as their numbers had dwindled to a mere 150 and sightings were rare.

Two years back, Hanguls were put under the satellite telemetry to study their behaviour, something that the legendary wildlife guard Qasim Wani’s did for decades with his eyes and ears only. Those days their numbers were in thousands and the first warning signs were indicated by him in the 80s when the numbers were noticed to be falling.

The name Hangul comes from the horse chestnut- Han – that the deer feeds on. There is much colour variation in its coat, which ranges from a light shade of brown in summer, to a dark and rich colour during the rutting season and in winter. The white rump patch, which does not extend beyond the tail, is most conspicuous. The fawns have distinct spots during the first few weeks of their lives after which these