Shimla: To mark the Wildlife Week in the state, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur today released a pair of captive bred Cheer pheasant, an endangered Himalayan Pheasant, into the wild at Seri village which has a conducive habitat for the bird.
The Cheer has been red-listed by International Union for Conservation for Nature (IUCN) and the Central Zoo Authority had identified the specie for conservation breeding with an objective to establish a viable and self sustainable population in the wild.
The bird was at a stage of extinction when the states Wild Life Department took up the challenging captive breeding program.
Speaking on the occasion the chief minister expressed the hope that the bird would thrive in the wild and its population would increase.
He said that there was complete ban on hunting in the State and it was a crime to hunt any kind of wildlife, adding that a rich wildlife would not only be an added attraction of the state but would also make the states natural environment more viable and sustainable.
Forest Minister Govind Singh Thakur said that Cheer pheasant was a very rare and beautiful bird found in the Himalayas.
Dr Savita, principal conservator wildlife said that the Khadiyun Pheasantry at Chail was identified as a ‘coordinating zoo’ for carrying out the conservation breeding of Cheer pheasant.
