Gharial conservation in Odisha

Gharial conservation in Odisha

Subject :Environment

Section: Species in news

Context:

Forest officials have spotted around 35 hatchlings of the gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), a crocodile species, at the Satkosia gorge in the Mahanadi river in Odisha’s Angul district. The species is unique to the Indian subcontinent and is critically endangered. This is the third consecutive year of successful breeding of these reptiles in natural habitat in the freshwater of the Mahanadi River.

Measures for successful breeding

Successful breeding of the gharial in the Satkosia gorge is attributed due to the strict prohibition on fishing up to 9 km downstream of the river., CCTVs and round the clock monitoring and spreading awareness among 300 villages in the area.

About Gharial

The gharial is listed in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife protection act,1972 and also described as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red list of Threatened Species.

Their habitat is threatened because of human encroachment, river pollution and fishing activities. Gharials caught accidentally in fishing nets are either hacked to death or have their snout chopped off by fisherman.