| Date opened | 1984[1] |
|---|---|
| Location | Dhodial, Mansehra District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan |
| Land area | 21 acres (8.5 ha)[2] |
| Number of animals | >4,000[2] |
| Number of species | 38[3] (pheasants only) |
| Annual visitors | 180,000[4] |
| Major exhibits | ~250[2] |
| Website | dhodialpheasantry.com |
Dhodial Pheasantry (or Dhodial Pheasant Center) is a pheasantry and breeding center for several species of pheasants situated in Mansehra District, Pakistan. It has been set up for the purposes of research, conservation, tourism and education. The pheasantry has around 250 exhibits providing shelter to around 4,000 birds.[2]
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Dhodial Pheasantry is located on Karakorum Highway in village of Dhodial, Mansehra District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan at a distance of 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Abbottabad, towards village of Shinkiari. It covers an area of 21 acres (8.5 ha).[2] Dhodial campus of Hazara University is located near the facility.
Dhodial Pheasantry was established in 1984 by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department with the support of IUCN and World Pheasant Association. It was initially set up over an area of 4 acres (1.6 ha).[1]
In 2001, when Hazara University planned to expand its campus over 204 acres (83 ha), the then Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Lt. Gen Iftikhar Hussain Shah, ordered the pheasantry to be removed from Dhodial and reloacted to Jaba Sheep Farm. The Inevitable Flight, a documentary film over this issue, was made by a Pakistani documentary filmmaker, Azfar Rizvi. This and other factors mobilized enough public and political support that the relocation was cancelled.[5]
An information center has been developed in the aviary to accommodate of visitors, facilitate researchers and for spreading awareness among local pheasant breeders.[2] More than 500 people visit the aviary daily. Entry fee for the aviary is 10 Pakistani rupees per person.[4]
In 2011, the aviary was closed to public due to supposed spread of bird flu. By July, all the birds had been vaccinated and the aviary was opened to public again on July 5, 2011.[4]
Cheer Pheasant, which went extinct in Pakistan, was planned to be reintroduced in the region. The World Pheasants Association sent 90 eggs of the species to the Dhodial Pheasantry. Among the eggs which hatched, the mortality was high and remained high till 1995. This situation got better in 1996. In 1997, a parent flock of 40 pairs was raised and eventually reintroduction of the cheer pheasant in Hazara District was carried out.[1] As of 2007, there are around 60 pairs of cheer pheasant in the Dhodial Pheasantry.[2]
Dhodial Pheasantry holds captive 34 of the 52 species of pheasants found in the world. Some of these include[2]:
The facility also houses some species of mammals:[2][4][5]:
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