Abstract
Gamebird farming is an emerging industry in Pakistan. Nowadays, the production of large amounts of gamebirds used for restocking purposes is an inescapable prerequisite to compensate for the harvest of wild stocks. The present study aims to delineate the welfare of one of the popular gamebirds Chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar, Phasianidae) during intensive farming at the two local game farms. The welfare in terms of anti-predator (AP) behavior was assessed. I analyzed the behavior by arranging AP behavioral assays with a flight initiation test, flight initiation distance, predator test, novel object test, escape test, and flight angles. Specifically, the birds of prey and mammalian predators stimulated the AP behavior in the Chukar partridges. The behavioral assays showed that the Chukar partridge had a clear inclination to escape from predators and can survive if they are to be released into the wild. The initiation of flight was triggered by both avian and mammalian predators indicative of likely good survival chances of these birds. However, it is inferred that restocking and reintroduction of Chukar populations cannot be separated from the adoption of sound welfare programs during intensive rearing.