Dachigam National Park

About Dachigam National Park:

• Location: It is located 22 km (kilometers) from Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.
• It covers an area of 141 sq km (square kilometers).
• The name literally stands for ‘ten villages’, which could be in memory of the ten villages that were relocated in order to create the park.
• It was initially established to ensure the supply of clean drinking water to Srinagar city. 
• A protected area since 1910, it was declared a national park in 1981.
• The park is situated at altitudes ranging from 5500 ft to 14,000 ft. 
• The park is best known as the home of the Hangul, or Kashmir stag. It holds the last viable population of the vulnerable hangul in the world.
• Terrain: Ranges from gently sloping grasslands to cliffs and sharp rocky outcrops.
• Flora: Includes wild cherry, apple, pear, peach, plum, apricot, chestnut, willow, walnut, oak, pine, birch, poplar, chinar, and elm.
• Fauna:
  • Besides Hangul, Dachigam is also famous for its populations of musk deer, leopard, Himalayan Grey Langur, leopard cat, Himalayan Black Bear, yellow-throated marten, among others.
  • It is the residence of raptors such as the Eurasian eagle owl, Lammergeier, Eurasian griffon and white-rumped vulture.

Key Facts about Kashmir Stag:

• It is also called Hangul, which is a subspecies of Central Asian red deer endemic to Kashmir and surrounding areas.
• It is found in dense riverine forests in the high valleys and mountains of Jammu and Kashmir and northern Himachal Pradesh.
• In Kashmir, it is found primarily in the Dachigam National Park where it receives protection.
• A small population has also been witnessed in Overa-Aru Wildlife Sanctuary in south Kashmir.
• Conservation status
  • IUCN: Critically Endangered
  • CITES : Appendix I