Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday released a pair of Cheer Pheasants into the wild near a village in Shimla.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said the cheer pheasant is an endangered Himalayan Pheasant red-listed by the International Union for Conservation for Nature (IUCN).
Later, the state Forest Department released two more pairs of the pheasant into the wild.
The Central Zoo Authority has identified the Cheer Pheasant as a species for conservation breeding with an objective to establish a viable and self-sustainable population.
Thakur said the bird was at a stage of extinction and the Wildlife Department was doing a commendable job by breeding it in captivity.