World Crocodile Day 2024: In 50th year of India’s saurian conservation, one of its architects worried for Bhitarkanika

Sub: Environment

Sec: Species in news

Crocodile Conservation Project:

India launched the Crocodile Conservation Project in 1975 in Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park, former hunting grounds of the Kanika princely state.
The project aimed to protect crocodiles’ natural habitat and revive their population through captive breeding.
Notable contributors included Sudhakar Kar, known as Odisha’s ‘Crocodile Man,’ and Australian herpetologist HR Bustard.
Conservation efforts began with breeding and rearing centres for saltwater crocodiles, muggers, and gharials in 34 locations across India, including Bhitarkanika.
In 1975, Bhitarkanika had only 95 saltwater crocodiles. Today, the population has grown to 1,811.

Current Issues:

The human-crocodile conflict in Bhitarkanika is a growing concern. Locals have been warned not to enter water bodies inhabited by estuarine crocodiles.
Forest officials have erected barricades around 120 river ghats to prevent crocodile attacks.
Since 2014, crocodile attacks have led to 50 deaths, influencing local politics, with villagers expressing dissatisfaction with incumbent politicians for inadequate safety measures.

Crocodile:

Crocodiles are known for their semi-aquatic lifestyle and are found in various freshwater habitats, including rivers, lakes, marshes, and estuaries.
The three crocodiles of India, the Saltwater Crocodile, Mugger Crocodile, and Gharial, are listed as Least Concern, Vulnerable, and Critically Endangered respectively on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Estuarine or Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)

IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern

Saltwater crocodiles are found in coastal regions and estuaries across Southeast Asia, Northern Australia, and the Indian subcontinent.
In India, the Saltwater Croc is primarily found in the mangrove habitats of the Sundarbans in West Bengal, the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Among the largest living croc species, adult saltwater crocodiles can reach lengths of up to 7 meters (23 feet).
They are known for their ability to inhabit both saltwater and freshwater habitats and are proficient swimmers.

Mugger or Marsh Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris)

IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable

Muggers have a broader distribution, ranging from parts of Iran to the Indian subcontinent.
Muggers are found in various freshwater habitats, including rivers, lakes, and marshes. They are distributed across different states in India, such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and others.
Muggers are smaller compared to saltwater crocs, with adult lengths typically ranging from 3 to 4 meters (9.8 to 13.1 feet).
Muggers are well-adapted to freshwater environments and are known to be more tolerant of different water conditions than saltwater crocs.
Medium-sized crocodiles (max. length of 4-5m) with the broadest snout of any living Crocodylus species, Mugger Crocodiles are hole-nesting species, with egg-laying taking place during the dry season.

Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)

IUCN Red List Status: Critically Endangered

The Gharial derives its name from a bulbous knob-like bump on the snout of breeding males that resembles a ghara, which in Hindi means an earthen pot.
The bulbous snout makes them the only crocodile species on the planet with a visible difference between males and females.
Largely piscivorous, their long, slender snout and rows of sharp teeth make them efficient fish catchers.
Adults are dark olive or brownish olive in colour, while the juveniles are greyish brown with five irregular bands on the upper body and nine on the tail.
Once a common sight within the subcontinent’s riverine ecosystems, local gharial populations have declined by 98 per cent since the 1940s, with fewer than 250 adult gharials remaining in the wild in 2006.
Concerted conservation efforts have since borne fruit, with a recent survey by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) reporting 1,255 gharials in the Chambal River alone.

Source: DTE