Shimla, Nov 21 - Monal pheasants, known for their dazzling colours, are to be bred in captivity in Himachal Pradesh in an attempt to arrest the declining numbers of the endangered bird.Officials say the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) had asked the state public works department to design a breeding centre for the pheasants in the popular resort town of Manali in the Kullu valley, some 280 km from here.'This will be the first monal pheasant centre in the state where the bird will be bred in captivity,' said Sameer Satogi, a wildlife official in Manali.'If needed, a domestic hen's services may be taken to brood over and hatch the eggs of the monal,' said Satogi.The design has already been sent to the CZA for approval, after which actual work will start on this centrally funded breeding centre, say officials.The state government is concerned at the falling numbers of the threatened monal, which is often hunted despite it being made a criminal offence several decades ago.Earlier this year the monal pheasant lost the status of the state bird of Himachal Pradesh to the even more endangered western tragopan.The Himalayan monal pheasant's habitat extends from eastern Afghanistan to western China at heights of 8,000-15,000 ft. In summer the hardy bird is found in rocky, grass-covered meadows and in winter in coniferous and mixed forests.The males are more colourful than the females and adorned with metallic colours of green, purple, red and blue. They also have a large white patch on the rump. The breast and under parts are black while the tail is copper coloured.
(c) Indo-Asian News Service
