Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur would release into the wild, Cheer Pheasant, an endangered Himalayan Pheasant into the wild on Thursday, a government spokesperson said here.
Thakur will attend a ceremony organised by Wild Life Wing of Forest Department of Himachal Pradesh at Seri Village District Shimla. "This will be a reintroduction of Cheer Pheasant in Himachal Pradesh, as captive-bred birds and animals have high mortality rate upon release into the wild," he said. Cheer Pheasant is an endangered Himalayan pheasant red-listed by International Union for Conservation for Nature (IUCN). The Central Zoo Authority identified the Cheer Pheasant as a candidate species for Conservation Breeding with an objective to establish viable and self sustainable population.
Khadiyun Pheasantry in Chail was identified as a ‘coordinating zoo’ for carrying out the Conservation Breeding of Cheer Pheasant to which the next step is to release this species into the wild.