KATHMANDU: Forty-one gharial crocodiles, raised at the Gharial Breeding Centre in Kasara, Chitwan, have been successfully released into the Rapti River since mid-July 2024.
Abinash Thapa Magar, the information officer of Chitwan National Park (CNP), stated that the park plans to release an additional 60 gharials into their natural habitats during the current fiscal year (2024-25). Last year, a total of 105 gharials were released.
The crocodile eggs are collected from the riverbank and hatched under controlled conditions at the breeding centre. Once the reptiles are fully grown, they are returned to the river.
Since its establishment in 1978, the Centre has released a total of 1,998 gharials into various rivers, including the Rapti and Narayani. However, the survival rate of these crocodiles remains low.
In a survey conducted last year, 152 gharials were recorded in the Rapti River, and 103 were found in the Narayani River. The Centre currently houses 759 gharials: 195 hatchlings, 432 juveniles, 100 sub-adults, and 32 adults.
The gharial, an endangered species, is now found only in Nepal and India, whereas it once ranged across Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar. In 1940, the global population of gharials was around 10,000, but by 1970, it had plummeted to just 2% of that number.
When the Gharial Breeding Centre was established, fewer than 100 gharials were estimated to exist across Nepal.
Factors such as human encroachment on riverbanks, river product extraction, and fishing have adversely affected the gharials’ natural habitats. Additionally, during floods, these crocodiles are sometimes swept across the Nepal-India border, further threatening their survival.
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