States » NorthPosted at: Oct 6 2026 8:02PM


Himachal steps up Cheer pheasant conservation with third release site in Shimla

Shimla, October 6 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Forest Department on Tuesday soft-released nine captive-bred Cheer pheasants at Moi Jubbar inp Koti area of Shimla under its ongoing reintroduction programme aimed at restoring the threatened Himalayan species in its natural habitat.
The release, comprising two families of the pheasants, was carried out as part of Wildlife Week 2026 celebrations by K Thirumal, APCCF (Wildlife), in the presence of Preeti Bhandari, Conservator of Forests, Wildlife Circle (South), Shimla, officials of the Wildlife Division, Koti Gram Panchayat Pradhan Pratibha, local residents and forest staff.
The nine birds were brought from the Cheer Pheasant Conservation Breeding Programme facility at Chail.
Moi Jubbar is the third release site under the Forest Department's Cheer Pheasant Reintroduction Programme. Earlier, birds were released at Seri and Shilli Mehli in Shimla.
The pheasants will initially be kept in a soft-release enclosure for about a month to enable them to gradually acclimatise to the local habitat and climatic conditions. During this period, they will be monitored closely while developing survival skills, including responding to predators, identifying natural food and adapting to the surrounding forest environment.
Following successful acclimatisation, the birds will be released into the wild.
The department said the reintroduction programme had produced encouraging results, with releases undertaken in 2023 and 2024 recording survival rates of about 92 per cent and 100 per cent, respectively.
The department said interaction and interbreeding between released captive-bred birds and wild Cheer pheasants had also been recorded, followed by successful hatching of chicks.
It described the development as an important indication that captive-bred birds were integrating into natural populations and contributing to their recovery.
The Cheer pheasant (Catreus wallichii), listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, has witnessed population decline due to habitat degradation, fragmentation and other human-induced pressures.
The Forest Department's flagship reintroduction programme focuses on scientifically managed captive breeding, habitat management, soft release, post-release monitoring and participation of local communities to establish viable populations of the species in its natural range.
Thirumal stressed the need to restore threatened wildlife species in their natural habitats and underlined the importance of local communities in ensuring the long-term success of conservation initiatives.
He also appreciated the wildlife wing, conservation breeding team, field staff and local communities for their role in the programme.
The department expressed confidence that successful establishment of Cheer pheasants at the release sites would contribute to the long-term recovery and repopulation of the species in Himachal Pradesh.
The initiative also reflects the theme of Wildlife Week 2026, “Protecting Wildlife Habitats to Conserve Health and Livelihoods”, highlighting the importance of healthy natural habitats in the survival and recovery of threatened wildlife species.
UNI BN
Tags: #Himachal steps up Cheer pheasant conservation with third release site in Shimla
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