Injured monal rescued by youths in Manali village

Local youths rescued an injured monal in Haripur village in Manali subdivision of the district yesterday. A local resident Balkrishan Sharma said the monal had descended from the forest area and was found sitting in the courtyard of his house in the evening. He added that it appeared that the rare bird was injured.

He said he promptly informed the Forest Department and with the assistance of his friends, transported the bird to the veterinary hospital today. He suspected that the bird had been injured in a wild animal attack. After receiving necessary care, the bird was handed over to the wildlife wing of the Forest Department. The rescue team included Balkrishan Sharma, Chandra Mohan, Lucky Bhardwaj, Hira Lal Vibhu and forest guard Gaurav.

Locally, the male lophophorus impejanus is called ‘monal’ while the female is known as ‘kardi’. Monal is found at higher reaches from 2,400 metres to 4,500 metres. The bird is in the list of endangered species suffering poaching for its crest and craze for its meat. Human interference with nature and increasing pressure on jungles were some of the other causes for the bird’s dwindling numbers.

The Asia’s only Monal Breeding Centre has also been setup in Manali. The Nehru Pheasantry was established in Van Vihar in Manali in 1984 to conserve the species, which was on the verge of extinction. The breeding centre was developed separately in 2015. The pheasantry serves as a main rescue centre for injured or accidently caught pheasants from surrounding areas. The number of the rare bird had stabilised after serious efforts by the government.

After snowfall in the hilly areas of Himachal Pradesh, wild animals like bears and leopards occasionally venture into human habitations while moving to lower areas. Many rare animals have also started wandering into rural areas, raising concerns about poaching among the Forest Department. Nonetheless, the persistent efforts of the department along with the cooperation of the locals had largely put a stop to the prevalent hunting practices in the region.