Context: 

Mating calls of endangered hangul indicate record uptick in population

Background:

Kashmir’s highly shy and sensitive animal, hangul, has reported one of the healthiest rutting or mating season in the previous autumn. It is the state animal of Jammu & Kashmir.

About Hangul:

1. It is the state animal of Jammu & Kashmir.
2. The Kashmir stag also called hangul, is a subspecies of Central Asian red deer endemic to Kashmir and surrounding areas.
3. The subspecies is battling for its survival in its last bastion: they are now scattered within 141sq km of the Dachigam National Park located on foothills of Zabarwan range on the outskirts of
4. The Hangul was once widely distributed in the mountains of Kashmir and parts of Chamba district in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh.
5. A survey in 2019 conducted by collaring the hangul has revealed that the species is no longer confined within the walls of Dachigam National Park. The endangered subspecies has now begun to use an old migratory route which spread through Sind Valley up to Tulail in Gurez Valley. The corridor was last known to be active in the early 1900s.
6. As of 2023, of the 289 Hanguls, 275 are in Dachigam National Park and 14 are inTral Wildlife Sanctuary, which is considered as the second home of Hangul
7. Conservation Status:- IUCN’s Red List:Critically Endangered.