Endangered Indian Gharial sighted in Greater Kaziranga landscape

Guwahati: The Indian Gharial or 'Gavialis gangeticus', one of the largest river-dwelling crocodile species of the world and on the verge of extinction, has been sighted in the Greater Kaziranga landscape for the third consecutive year, an official said.

The recurrent sighting of gharials, especially female, in the last three years in the Bishwanath stretch of the Brahmaputra in the Northern addition of the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, confirms the premise of restoring back species with due protection, Park Director Sonali Ghosh said.

The Biswanath Wildlife Division and the TSA Foundation had conducted a 60 km long Brahmaputra river survey recently from Majuli to Koliabhomora bridge, Tezpur in two transects (upstream and downstream) considering the huge width of the river covering a total of 320 km shoreline, she said.

The team conducted habitat suitability assessments for aquatic reptiles using parameters such as river depth, channel width, water flow, vegetation cover and extent, and quality of basking and nesting (soil).

The survey recorded over 900 freshwater turtles representing five species, along with one female Gharial.

Opportunistic sightings of other aquatic wildlife such as Gangetic River Dolphins and Otters were also recorded to compare notes with the recent dedicated surveys on the same.

Kaziranga has a recorded abundance of over 42 species of freshwater fishes and hence one of the best habitats for gharials in the long run.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma appreciated the efforts and conveyed that it is due to the forest department's extensive conservation efforts, sightings of gharials, small-clawed otters and Binturong at Greater Kaziranga for the first time in recent memory has occurred.

The Indian Gharial, growing up to 8 metres in length, has been placed under the IUCN Red Data list as critically endangered and listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 due to massive decline in its population.

Historical records of Gharials from sixteen rivers in NE India in the 1950s reported only secondary habitat information and it was thought to be locally extinct.

In many riverine systems, it was known to be on the verge of extinction with very few breeding adults left. Adult gharials exhibit a strong association with river systems, often displaying seasonal migratory patterns.

A distinctive feature of male gharials is the presence of a bulb-like structure at the tip of their snouts, which looks like an 'earthen pot' or 'Ghara' in Hindi, which lends the species its name, Gharial. They are specialized fish feeders and are unable to feed on other things due to the shape of their snout. Moreover, they are less agile on the land and prefer to remain soaked in water at most times.

India's largest gharial population resides in the National Chambal Sanctuary, which hosts approximately 77 per cent of the global adult population. The remaining Gharial populations in India are found in various locations, including the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh, the Gandak River on the Indo-Nepal border, Corbett National Park, the Son river, Mahanadi river, and Hastinapur Sanctuary.

Additionally, small populations, possibly consisting of just a few individuals, have been observed in the Ken river, Yamuna river, Brahmaputra river, Ghaghara river, and Bhagirathi Hooghly river.