133 Gharials raised in Chitwan released into Rapti River, but wild numbers remain low

Chitwan National Park has released 133 gharial crocodiles into the Rapti River. These gharials were raised at the park’s Gharial Breeding Center. Out of the released crocodiles, two were male and the rest were female. They were released at different times during the last fiscal year.

According to the park’s information officer, Avinash Thapamagar, a total of 2,090 gharials have been raised at the breeding center and released into various rivers so far.

Among them, the highest number—1,335—have been released into the Rapti River. Other rivers include Narayani (419), Saptakoshi (115), Babai (110), Karnali (41), Kaligandaki (35), Chaudhar of Shuklaphanta (25), and Rapti of Banke (10).

In the previous fiscal year, 105 gharials were released. That year, 25 were sent to Shuklaphanta and 10 to Rapti in Banke, with the rest released into Rapti in Chitwan.

The gharials released last year were born in 2020. Although crocodiles are released into rivers every year, the total number found during counting has not increased much. In a count conducted in the Rapti and Narayani rivers in the month of Poush last year, only 352 gharials were recorded.

Currently, the breeding center has 782 gharials. Among them, 185 were born this year, 153 were from last year, and the rest are from earlier years. The center has one old male gharial, while the sex of the others has not been determined.

Gharial crocodiles are considered critically endangered. In the past, they were found in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar, but now they are found only in Nepal and India.

In the 1940s, the global gharial population was estimated to be around 10,000. By the 1970s, only about 2% remained, which raised serious conservation concerns.

After Chitwan National Park was established, a Gharial Breeding Center was set up in Kasara in 1975. At that time, the total number of gharials in the country was believed to be fewer than 100.

Thapamagar said gharials are facing threats due to increasing human activities near rivers, sand and gravel extraction, water pollution, and people fishing in their habitat.

He also noted that when rivers flood, gharials can be washed away across the border. Although the park releases gharials into rivers every year, their population in the wild is not increasing as expected.