Photographs prove presence of 'King of Birds' in Poonch sanctuary 

Srinagar, Aug 13:  The wildlife officials from the Poonch sanctuary in the Pir Panjal region of Jammu and Kashmir have established the presence of rare, beautiful, and elusive bird at the harbour.

The bird-Western Tragopan or Jujurana which translates to the 'king of birds' was although mentioned in the documents of the sanctuary but its presence was never established through evidence, Wildlife Warden for Rajouri and Poonch, Amit Sharma told Greater Kashmir.

Sharma said that they don't claim to have the bird until there is a valid evidence, which includes photograph, camera trap, or a body part. "We can do a DNA test on the body part and confirm the presence," he said.

For now, there is no estimated population of the bird, he said.

The wildlife officials had set-up cameras some two weeks ago to trap and identify animals in the sanctuary, and today it was established that there is a Western Tragopan there, Sharma said.

The bird's significance lies in its beauty, its big size and its elusive nature, Sharma said.

Asked whether the bird is native to the region, Sharma said, "yes it is resident."