India’s western tragopan steadied by captive breeding, an interim fix

The western tragopan ( Tragopan melanocephalus ) is one of India’s rarest pheasants and the state bird of Himachal Pradesh. It was once found across parts of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, but now survives in small fragmented pockets.

Studies in the forests of Kazinag and Limber in Jammu & Kashmir have revealed that while habitats with suitable climates for the bird do exist, human disturbance and habitat fragmentation continue to endanger its future.

Conservationists at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have estimated that only 3,000-9,500 mature tragopans remain and that all belong to a single subpopulation. Roughly a quarter lie across the western Himalayas and the northern parts of Pakistan.

Yet deep inside Himachal Pradesh’s G