Himachal Pradesh’s State bird – Western Tragopan (Tragopan-melanocephalus) – has been facing habitat loss in parts of the country. But because of authorities’ efforts, there has been a gradual increase in the population of this rare species at the State’s Sarahan pheasantry, the conservation breeding centre, bringing a glimmer of hope for its survival and growth.
While the breeding of the elusive bird in captivity has been a success as its population has steadily gone up over the past two decades. The next challenge, experts and officials feel, is to successfully reintroduce the western tragopans into their natural habitat in the wild, which is a stiff task. The bird has a disjunct distribution in the northwest Himalayas from north Pakistan (Indus-Kohistan district) to India, including Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, and the western parts of Uttarakhand.
The Sarahan pheasantry in Shimla has over the years seen successful captive breeding of western tragopan, which faces threats due to habitat loss, hunting, and other anthropogenic factors. According to Himachal Pradesh Wildlife Wing’s latest report, “Western Tragopan Biannual Report 2020-2022”, the population of the bird, which was two in 2002, reached 45 individuals in 2022. Currently, it is 47.
