According to officials the number of the wildlife species has been decreasing consistently due to many reasons including the shrinkage in its habitat. Hangul, the only surviving species of red deer family, is fast becoming extinct. Its number has come down from 228 to 160 in last four years.

‘J-K’s wildlife department is set to start the captive breeding after the Rs 8.8 crore conservation plan has been approved by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. In the remaining two months of this financial year we have to spend Rs 1 crore on conservation plan of Hangul. We have already started the construction work on the breeding centre at Shikargah wildlife sanctuary in Tral area of Kashmir Valley and the work on it is assisted by the Central Zoo Authority of India’, said Jammu and Kashmir Chief Wildlife Warden, A K Srivastava.

Government conservation plan also includes protection of the habitat of the species by fencing and anti-poaching measures. The census has already been started in some areas of Kashmir like Kupwara and it will be done in all the wildlife areas of the state. It was earlier restricted to the Dachigam National park only, added Srivastava.

We have to find the distribution area of this critically endangered species. It has been even found in areas of Khrew and Kunmoh. And our conservation plan which is beginning this year is spread over 5 years, the Chief Wildlife Warden said.

Hangul presence has also been sighted in the high altitude Kishtawar national park, so the census will also be done there. After the decline in number, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has proposed captive breeding as the only viable solution to avoid its extinction. WII will prioritize the works under the conservation plan for the state government. Its expert team will also assist in the census and survey of the species, said J-K Chief Wildlife Warden.

The census is based on the evidences which are also secondary. Apart from sightings the droppings and pug marks will also be used for census and this is the most appropriate time to carry it out, Srivastav added.