This May, a forest protection team spotted a gharial female with as many as 28 of its hatchlings at a nest on the banks of the Mahanadi in Odisha. Why is this news of significance?
Around the early 1970s, the gharial population in Satkosia gorge (part of the Satkosia Tiger Reserve’s core area) had come down drastically. This is said to have largely been due to fishing and poaching in the area. Shortly, in a move to conserve gharials, the government, in collaboration with various stakeholders, started the captive breeding programme for the reptile. It is said that in the four decades since 1977, more than 850 gharials were released into the Mahanadi. And shockingly, a census in 2018 revealed that only a dozen of those had survived!
Research was taken up immediately to find out what had gone wrong so a solution could be found. The team found that illegal fishing and mining practices were affecting the creatures as was their conflict with mugger crocodiles. Just as importantly, these reptiles were also getting caught in fishing nets and meeting unfortunate ends. And so, the team came up with a brilliant solution-waiting longer before releasing captive-bred gharials.
Earlier, the gharials were released when they were about one metre long. These young ones wandered off far and quickly, invariably to untimely deaths. So, gharials only at least two metre long were released. Since they were now fitted with radio transmitters, they could be tracked too. Thus fisherfolk were alerted about the reptile movement, helping these creatures dodge death. Also, fisherfolk and villagers in the surrounding areas were educated about the need for reptile conservation, and fisherfolk were compensated if their nets were damaged due to gharial entanglement. Meanwhile, personnel also stepped up vigil along the banks of the Mahanadi.
And it was after all these efforts that the gharial breeding in the wild seems to have happened. Though the hatchlings appeared to have done fine, their survival rate is low. But the fact that the initiative has paid off has given officials hope and renewed vigour to step up conservation efforts. Perhaps this heartening story of success could be emulated elsewhere and for other species too.
Picture Credit : Google
