The Kashmir stag also called Hangul is a subspecies of Central Asian Red Deer native to northern India.It is the state animal of Jammu & Kashmir.In Kashmir, it’s found in Dachigam National Park at elevations of 3,035 meters.These deer once numbered from about 5,000 animals in the beginning of the 20th century.Unfortunately, they were threatened, due to habitat destruction, over-grazing by domestic livestock and poaching.This dwindled to as low as 150 animals by 1970. However, the state of Jammu & Kashmir, along with the IUCN and the WWF prepared a project for the protection of these animals.It became known as Project Hangul. This brought great results and the population increased to over 340 by 1980.
