CHITWAN: Counting and monitoring of gharial crocodiles has begun in the Rapti and Narayani rivers from Sunday.
Abinash Thapa Magar, Information Officer at Chitwan National Park, said the activity will continue until December 14. “Every year, crocodiles are released into the rivers, and counting is conducted to assess their status,” he added.
Crocodiles bred at the park’s crocodile breeding centre are released into their natural habitats annually. This year, the counting will cover the stretch from Lothar of Rapti River to Tribeni via Golaghat, and from Ganjipur of Narayani River to its confluence with the Rapti River at Golaghat.
Technicians from Chitwan National Park, personnel from the Nepal Army, and members of the local Bote community have been mobilized for this task. An eight-member team has been assigned specifically for the counting and monitoring of gharials.
Since 1995, a total of 2,105 baby gharials have been released into rivers across the country. In the last fiscal year, 133 gharials were released, while 15 have already been released in the current fiscal year. However, the number of surviving reptiles often falls short of expectations, as some are carried away by river currents.
In last year’s census, 352 gharials were recorded—206 in the Rapti River and 146 in the Narayani River. The gharial is classified as a critically endangered species.
Once found in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar, gharials are now limited to Nepal and India. Globally, their population was estimated at around 10,000 in the 1940s. By 1970, only two percent of that number remained, which spurred greater conservation efforts.
Thapa Magar noted that gharial habitats are under pressure due to increased human activity in rivers, extraction of river materials, pollution, and fishing, threatening their survival further.
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