08 Feb 2009
Chitwan, Nepal – Fourteen gharials fitted with radio tags were released into the Rapti River today by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) in collaboration with WWF Nepal, to track the movement of this critically endangered species. The tracking is expected to help assess the reptile’s survival rate and the status of its preferred habitat in Nepal.

“Critically Endangered”
The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is characterized by its long and slender snout and mostly inhabits deep, fast-flowing rivers. Its name derives from the cartilaginous protruberance at the end of the adult male’s snout that resembles a Ghara, an earthen pot common to India and Nepal.

Gharial is the first crocodilian species to be re-categorized as Critically Endangered on the 2007 IUCN Red List. It was common throughout its range with an inferred population of 5,000 to 10,000 in the 1940s.

During the period of 1981-2008, 691 gharials were released in Narayani, Rapti, Karnali, Babai, Koshi and Kali Gandaki rivers. However, gharial numbers continue to plummet.

A gharial is characterized by its long and slender snout. © Sanjib Chaudhary/ WWF Nepal

Radio transmitters and tags tied to the gharials' scutes
© Sanjib Chaudhary/ WWF Nepal

A 2008 survey confirmed the presence of 81 individuals in the different rivers of Nepal, the number presumably higher due to the release of captive-bred gharials.

Radio tagging to track the movement
The gharials were released in a make-shift enclosure at Dumariya ghat of the Rapti River. The duo of Dr. Antoine Cadi and Renan Aufray from the French NGO, Awely, helped the team from Chitwan National Park (CNP) to fit the gharials with radio transmitters.

The transmitters are attached to the scutes on the gharials’ tails and each gharial has been provided a different number and radio frequency. They will be monitored based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology by the team of CNP staff led by Bishnu Thapaliya and Madhav Khadka.

WWF Nepal's Country Representative Mr. Anil Manandhar releases a radio-tagged gharial. © Sanjib Chaudhary/ WWF Nepal

A released gharial tastes the moment of freedom. © Sanjib Chaudhary/ WWF Nepal

WWF’s Country Representative to Nepal, Mr. Anil Manandhar said, “The study will help in diagnosing the causes of decline in the gharial population. It will also help us better understand the gharial’s habitat use — knowledge crucial for saving the most threatened crocodile in the world.”

“Although conservation efforts such as the tagging and release of gharials are important steps in saving the species, a lot more is needed to ensure its long-term survival. Integrated efforts that include captive breeding, research and monitoring, and especially safeguarding gharial habitat and prey, are urgently needed, “ added Sarala Khaling, regional co-ordinator of the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, which has largely funded this release and monitoring project.

Funding for the release of this batch of fourteen gharials comes from WWF and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF).

Closer to extinction
Although hunting is no longer a threat to the species, the construction of dams, barrages, irrigation canals, sand-mining and riverside agriculture have all resulted in the irreversible loss of habitat for the gharial. The river pollution and overfishing have added to the woes of these crocodiles.

The gharial is now considered to be confined within the river systems of the Brahmaputra (India and Bhutan), the Indus (Pakistan), the Ganges (India and Nepal), and the Mahanadi (India), with small populations in the Kaladan and the Irrawady in Myanmar.

” The water quality of Nepalese rivers are better suited for gharial’s survival,” says Dr. Cadi. “If not saved in Nepal, they will be closer to extinction.”

The monitoring of the released gharials will be helpful in formulating a long term conservation action plan to save these critically endangered species.