By IANS,
Srinagar : The Dachigam national park has been thrown open to tourists and visitors from Tuesday.
Situated 12 km from here, the national park is home to one of the rarest species of red deer known as ‘Hangul’.
This species of red deer is found only in Kashmir and because of an alarming decrease in its numbers, the ‘Hangul’ has been put at the top of the WWF list of most endangered species of animals.
Kashmir Forest Minister Qazi Muhammad Afzal declared the park open for tourists and visitors Tuesday.
Till now the Dachigam national park had been out of bounds for tourists and the entry had to be authorized directly by the chief minister’s office.
The entry fee to the park is Rs.150.
In order to protect the delicate ecology within the park, the state tourism department has provided four battery operated vehicles to the local wildlife protection department to carry visitors on a conducted tour inside.