Attempted re-introduction of cheer pheasant to the Margalla Hills National Park, Pakistan

Summary

The World Pheasant Association attempted to re-establish the cheer pheasant (Catreus wallichi) in Pakistan's Margalla Hills National Park, at the extreme northwestern edge of the species' Himalayan range, after the last wild birds were hunted out in 1976. Beginning with a 1977 feasibility assessment, the project ran from 1978 to around 1990, shipping hundreds of fertile eggs each year from European aviaries to incubation facilities and release pens near Islamabad, with release sites moved over time from a low-altitude first pen at Dhok Jiwan to higher, more remote sites at Jabri in 1983 and Gagra in 1988. Avicultural problems, including incubator failure, disease, and excessive heat, meant few eggs survived to release, and in 1987 an entire cohort of several hundred chicks died from bacterial and parasitic infection. From 1986, rearing shifted toward more natural, parent-led incubation to improve anti-predator behavior, and post-release survival improved somewhat, with birds attempting to breed in 1987 and 1989, though no evidence emerged of any wild-hatched chick surviving beyond three months. Early radio-tagged poults released in 1981 were entirely predated by foxes, jackals, and civets. Compounding the difficulties, the Margalla Hills' upgraded protected status reduced grazing and grass-cutting, allowing scrub to overtake the open grassland habitat the species needs, leaving room for at most three territories by the project's end. The project rated itself a Failure, citing progressive habitat loss, little evidence of prolonged survival, and no confirmed independent wild-bred offspring.