In a positive development for the ongoing Cheer Pheasant Conservation Breeding programme in Himachal Pradesh, a captive-bred bird which was released into the wild last year has survived for more than one year.
In October last year, 13 captive-bred Cheer Pheasants were released in the forest area in rural Shimla in the state.
While 11 birds had died and their bodies were recovered by the Himachal Forest Department, two adults had managed to survive in the forest. These birds were fitted with very high frequency (VHF) radio collars by the Department for tracking their movement but the signal was lost after nine months and they went untraceable.
One of the adults has now been captured several times by the camera traps installed in their natural habitat at Seri village in Shimla. Encouraged by the findings, the Department has ramped up efforts to trace the second bird as well.
The wildlife experts had earlier expressed apprehensions that the two adults may have died after being attacked by wild animals and it was concluded that the two birds survived in the wild for more than nine months, after being released from captivity in a first such initiative after the Cheer Pheasant conservation breeding programme began in Himachal nearly two decades back.
The conservation programme for the bird species was launched with an aim to re-establish their population in their natural habitat where their numbers have declined due to various reasons including human disturbances.
Interestingly, the development has come at a time when the Forest Department is gearing up for the second attempt to release three families of captive-bred Cheer Pheasants in the forest area in Shimla next week.
The Cheer Pheasant, a threatened Pheasant species is a large bird with a long and broad, barred tail, red facial skin, a prominent crest, grayish plumage and proportionally short legs.
“Recently, three families comprising 11 captive-bred Cheer Pheasants were shifted to soft-released pens in Seri village. Their final release in the wild is due next week. An adult Cheer Pheasant which was released in the wild last year by the Department has been visiting the soft-pens to interact with the captive –bred birds. The adult Cheer Pheasant along with another bird of the same species was captured by camera traps installed near soft-pens,” said Krishan Kumar, Divisional Forest Officer, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh Forest Department while talking to The Pioneer.
This development is a major success in the ongoing conservation and breeding programme for Cheer Pheasants in the state. The captive-bred bird has not only managed to learn skills and survive for more than a year but has also found a companion in the forest, he said.
This bird was earlier tracked for almost 300 days but the signal was lost. The Department is also trying to trace another adult bird, whose GPS signal was also lost after 300 days, the DFO added.
Notably, the breeding centre for the Cheer Pheasant at Khadiyun, Chail, which is also their natural habitat, currently has 56 birds being raised in enclosures.
According to the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department, in April 1979, there were approximately 40 pairs of Cheer pheasants in Chail WildLife Sanctuary at an average density of 6 pairs per Km2. Their population declined by around 50 percent between 1979 and 1983. Their global population is stated to be less than 2,700 birds.
The major threats to Cheer Pheasants are hunting, forest fires, grazing and fodder collection.
This bird species is found in India, Pakistan and Nepal. The altitudinal range for the species varies from the subtropical pine forests to sub-alpine meadow zones at about 1200 m to 3000 m in Himachal Pradesh.