A total of 352 gharial crocodiles have been found in the Rapti and Narayani rivers. During a recent survey and monitoring by Chitwan National Park, 206 gharials were found in the Rapti River and 146 in the Narayani River.
The park’s information officer, Abinash Thapamagar, shared that the count was conducted over 14 days, starting from Poush 12. Nine staff members and local fishermen participated in the survey.
Last year, 152 gharials were found in the Rapti River and 113 in the Narayani River. While three male gharials were spotted in each river last year, this year, five males were found—two in the Rapti and three in the Narayani River.
Despite no males being found in the survey this year, the overall number has increased. Officer Thapamagar explained that the increase was partly due to the release of 41 gharials into the Rapti River before the survey. The park also released 20 more gharials into the river last Poush.
Last year, 105 gharials were released into their natural habitat, and this year, there are plans to release an additional 40 gharials. Eggs collected from the rivers are brought to breeding centers, where the baby gharials are raised and later released back into the rivers.
So far, 2218 gharials have been released into various rivers in Nepal, including the Rapti and Narayani. Currently, 739 gharials are being kept at the breeding centers.
The gharial is an endangered species. In the past, they were found in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar, but today, they are only found in Nepal and India. In the 1940s, there were around 10,000 gharials globally, but by 1970, only about 2% of their population remained, which led to increased conservation efforts.
Since the establishment of Chitwan National Park in 1975, the Kasara Gharial Breeding Center has been working to protect the species. At that time, the gharial population in the country was estimated to be less than 100.
However, human activities such as increased river traffic, excavation of riverbed materials, pollution, and fishing have damaged the gharials’ natural habitats. Additionally, floods have caused some gharials to be washed away.
