Blyth’s Tragopan

In News

• The forest officials in Manipur have been scanning “gambling dens” following reports of wild animals – dead or alive – being offered as prizes for raffle draws.

About

• People are buying raffle draw tickets ranging from ?100 to ?500 to try their luck to win exotic meat. 
• Apart from wild boars and deer, animals such as binturong (an arboreal mammal also known as bearcat), squirrels and flying foxes (bats) have been found to be on offer. 
• Different types of birds such as the grey-sided thrush and tragopans (often called horned pheasants) have also been spotted.

Blyth’s tragopan

• About: 
  • A pheasant also called grey-bellied tragopan
  • State bird of Nagaland.
  • Scientific Name: Tragopan blythii
• Habitat: 
  • Bhutan through north-east India, 
  • North Myanmar to south-east Tibet, and
  • China. 
• Population: 
  • Estimated to be about 2,500 to 9,999 birds.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Status: Vulnerable (VU)
  • CITES: Appendix I

• Threats:
  • Deforestation as forest is primary habitat; 
  • threatened to extinction and overexploitation
  • High levels of grazing and slash and burn agriculture
• Way Ahead:
  • This species is legally protected in all countries in which it is found.
  • Conservation awareness plans need to be implemented in all areas.

Image Courtesy: TH

Source: TH