Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India]May 31 (ANI): Forest officials said that 35 cubs of gharial, a crocodile species, were sighted in the Satkosia valley by the Mahanadi river in eastern Odisha.
The gorge is located within the Satkosia Tiger Reserve, which has been designated as a United Nations protected area. It has also been designated as a Ramsar site in 2021. Gharial is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Speaking to ANI, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PPCF), SK Popli said that Satkosia Gorge is the southernmost wild habitat for gharial and Odisha is lucky to have three crocodile species in the wild.
Popley said, “The Satkosia Gorge is the southernmost wild habitat for the alligator. This is the southernmost limit regarding the presence of gharials. Odisha is fortunate to have all the three species of crocodiles in the wild. We have gharials in Satkosia Gorge and crocodiles and saltwater crocodiles in Bhitarkanik National Park.
Satkosia is the only place in Odisha for Gharials. The Government of Odisha took the initiative in the 1970s and started the project in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Popli informed about the efforts made by the authorities for breeding alligators in the year 2018-19, which were not successful. Later, in 2019, he started a captive breeding project to increase the number of gharials in the area.
“Till 2018 -19, we tried breeding gharials, but our efforts did not yield the desired results. Then in 2019 we launched a project called ‘Gharial Recovery Mission’. While there were only 3 to 5 gharials in the wild at that time, we were breeding hundreds in captivity,” he said.
“We started captive breeding at Nandankan Zoo in Bhubaneswar,” he said.
“In 2019-21 we released satellites tagging 18-20 gharials in different age groups. However, due to various reasons, we could only track 4 gharials in the wild. Mating happened in 2021, ”he said.
“In the year 2021, 28 gharial eggs were observed in the area and 25 of them gave birth to gharial babies which survived. This happened for the first time in many years. In 2022, the same female gharial laid fresh eggs, giving rise to 32 cubs,” said Popli.
In addition, he noted that this year, 37 eggs were laid, of which 35 hatched. They are being monitored through CCTV cameras.
He said, ‘So far in 2023, 37 eggs have been laid, out of which 35 have given birth to children. We are keeping an eye on the newborn babies especially between Binkai and Tikrapada through CCTV cameras. We look forward to making further progress going forward.”
“We have not only stepped up measures to ensure the conservation of this species but are also engaged in assisting research in this direction,” he said. (ANI)
This report has been auto generated from ANI News Service. ThePrint is not responsible for its content.