A really notable breeding result, even though only AI (???) bred. Two questions come up? Is this at the Chengdu Panda BC Base or Wolong or other … reserve? Who are the international partners for the future expansion project?
I’m not sure if it is achieved through AI as the Chinese source simply mentions “captive breeding”, so maybe just an odd translation. The breeding center is actually located at Fengtongzhai National Reserve, Baoxing County, Sichuan. The reserve is a stronghold for wild Chinese monal population, and part of UNESCO World Heritage Site “Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries” (it is also the type locality of giant panda).
The international partner seems to be the World Pheasant Association. I found this in an interesting article from the latest issue of Beijing Zoo magazine (apparently they also provided help), which also included a brief history of the captive Chinese monal population in China. The reserve started their breeding program in 1992, while the current birds descended from four wild-caught birds in 2004. Fourteen hatchlings have been successfully raised over the years before 2018 breeding season. Here are a few photos of their enclosures from the article:
