Kashmir is very rich in nature and wildlife. Its animals are wild, ranging from tiger to goat. Donkeys and asses can also be found here. For a time being donkey is considered the national animal, while a debate goes on whether to keep tiger or goat as national animal or not (they being very sacred to this place). Though they differ a lot from each other but, both have dogs to their assistance. Dogs bite, tigers and goats eat. Their food habits vary. Tigers eat randomly whoever comes in their way. They have no priorities. Goats on the other hand feed on specifics. They have their cookery list maintained. They usually look for green vegetables, uproot them and fry them up to eat. Both these animals are very shy, so they usually remain aloof from the rest of wildlife. They have their niche in the upper posh areas of the forest and once in a while come down for a change of air and delicious food. Lions have emerged very recently in Kashmir. Earlier this specie was not known. They are very proud of the mane hanging from their neck. They share the same food habits as those of goats and lions.
Foxes are an endangered species here. The survival instinct (because of the abundance of tigers, lions and goats), is so strong that animals here have grown a tendency to become fox whenever a need comes up. This has made the survival of foxes dangerous.
Hangul is a unique animal found only in Kashmir. It does nothing except eating and running.
Kashmir is rich in its water bodies too and a natural life exists in it also. Ducks and swans are usually found there and they confine themselves to the waters as they are not given equal floating as other animals like parrots, who are usually seen hanging from high sacred minarets.
Hens and roosters form a large part of the social life. Hens have been looking after household chores and chicks from antiquity. Their job has never changed. Earlier the Roosters were important as they used to wake up other animals from their deep slumber very early in the morning. The foxing quality of other animals dominated and roosters were domesticated. They now wake up at 8 PM and are already asleep by 5 PM.
Rabbits are nowadays very important to the wildlife of Kashmir. Earlier they hid themselves in burrows because other animals hunted them for sport. They booked their faces and covered them up in a magical spell of the jungle law and threw them in dungeons. But, now they have started to come out. Time and again they take lions, goats, tigers and other animals to a well so that they can see their image in it and pounce on it. The rabbits are failing because they are very fast. Tortoises always advise them to be as slow as them, only then can they form a protective shell around themselves.
P.S: Ann posh teli, yeli wan posh - Courtesy: Wild Life Kashmir
