Complete ban on Monal plumes in caps, broaches in Himachal
and have directed all conservative officers and DFOS to ask people for a source of registration if they have any crest. All DFOS have been directed to check database of of their areas to collect information as to the number of crests registered till now. The rapid response team has been directed to increase vigilance especially during winter as the threatened specie migrates to lower hills during snowfall.
To prevent hunting and poaching, we also deploy extra manforce in winter in areas where possibility of illegal hunting is higher,” she said.
HUNTING OF BIRD PROHIBITED
Even though hunting of the Himalayan Monal Pheasant (Lophophorus impejanus) is banned since 1982, there has been little check on its poaching and plumes are easily available in the market.
Also known as the Impeyan Monal, Impeyan Pheasant, the bird belongs to the pheasant family. It is the state bird of Uttrakhand as well as Nepal’s national bird, where it is known as the ‘danphe’. It was also the state bird of HP till 2007 before being replaced by Western Tragopan, locally known as Jujurana. The scientific name – Lophophorus impejanus – was given to honour Lady Mary Impey, the wife of British chief justice of Bengal, Sir Elijah Impey. The bird’s native range extends from Afghanistan through the Himalayas in Pakistan, Kashmir region, Nepal, southern Tibet, Bhutan and Indian states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. There is also a report of its occurrence in Burma.
Although, the bird is a least concerned species in the ICUN list of endangered species, Monal is among the threatened species in some ranges due to large scale poaching. The Monal is largely killed for its plume. The locals wear it crested in silver or gold or on the cap. As per an estimate the state has about 5,000 Monals.