Dhodial Pheasantry

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dhodial Pheasantry
Date opened 1984[1]
Location Dhodial, Mansehra District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Coordinates 34°25′14″N 73°15′13″E / 34.42056°N 73.25361°E / 34.42056; 73.25361Coordinates: 34°25′14″N 73°15′13″E / 34.42056°N 73.25361°E / 34.42056; 73.25361
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]

Location

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.

History

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 Canadian documentary filmmaker, Azfar Rizvi. This brought the issue under public scrutiny, subsequently other factors kicked in and mobilized enough public and political support that the relocation was cancelled.[5]

Public services

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]

Conservation efforts

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]

Species

Birds

Pheasants

Dhodial Pheasantry holds captive 34 of the 52 species of pheasants found in the world. Some of these include:[2]

Other

Cranes
Waterfowls

Mammals

The facility also houses some species of mammals:[2][4][5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Syed Imad-ud-Din Asad (2003). "Dhodial: Asia's Largest Pheasantry". wildlifeofpakistan.com. Dhodial: Dawn News. Retrieved July 21, 2011. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 "Dhodial providing unique environment to various species". archives.dawn.com (Dhodial: Dawn News). May 14, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2011. 
  3. ↑ "History of Dhodial Pheasantry". dhodialpheasantry.com. Retrieved July 22, 2011. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Bird flu control: Dhodial pheasantry to re-open from July 5". tribune.com.pk (Mansehra, Pakistan: The Express Tribune - Pakistan). July 2, 2011. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Rizvi, Azfar (2008). "The Inevitable Flight". azfarrizvi.com. Retrieved July 21, 2011. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dhodial Pheasantry.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.