29/05/2026
Dr. Shaikh Ghulam Rasool, Founder of Nature Conservancy Alliance (NCA) and noted conservationist, strongly condemned the brutal poaching of a White-bellied Himalayan Musk Deer in the Gurez Valley, terming it a “collective failure of the Wildlife and Forest Departments and a disgrace to biodiversity governance in Jammu & Kashmir.”
“As clearly visible in the photograph, the animal appears to be a fully grown, large-sized White-bellied Himalayan Musk Deer, possibly carrying nearly 5–6 tolas of musk pod value, making it a direct target of the illegal wildlife trade mafia operating in the Himalayan region. The repeated killing of endangered species in Gurez exposes the alarming collapse of ground-level wildlife protection and the absence of an effective anti-poaching mechanism. This is not merely the killing of a rare animal, it is the systematic destruction of Kashmir’s ecological heritage, mountain biodiversity, and fragile Himalayan ecosystems. The silence and inaction of the concerned departments have virtually emboldened poachers. If urgent surveillance, community-based protection, and strict legal action are not enforced immediately, the day is not far when these iconic species will vanish forever from our mountains,” Dr. Rasool stated.
