Gharial Deaths in National Chambal Sanctuary

Gharials under grave threat

by Anshuman Atroley

The monarch of Indian rivers is under severe threat. More than 90 gharials (Gangeticus gavialis) have been reported dead in last two months from the National Chambal Sanctuary for yet-to-be diagnosed reasons.

Situated around the Chambal River – often claimed as the cleanest river of India – the sanctuary is spread in three Northern Indian states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and is home to numerous freshwater species.

Most of gharial mortalities have been reported in Uttar Pradesh side of the river near the confluence of Chambal with Yamuna that flows through India’s bustling capital, Delhi, and the historic city of Agra. (see map)

Gharials – often confused with crocodiles – are characterized by their long and thin snout that has a ghara or pot on their head and survive only on fish. Gharials are one of the most endangered freshwater crocodile species and are classified as critically endangered by IUCN. The species is already extinct in its former range in Pakistan, Bhutan, and Myanmar, and most likely also in Bangladesh. Not more than 1400 gharials remain in the wild today, with lesser than 200 in their breeding age group. Besides Chambal, Gharials are found in isolated stretches of river Ken and Son, Girwa and Ganges in India.

“This is a national crisis - Gharials are an important freshwater species. Too few of them remain with us in the wild and the continuing loss indicates a long term negative effect on the eco system.” said Mr. Ravi Singh, Secretary General and CEO, WWF-India, and Chairman of the Crisis Management Group formed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. The Crisis Management Group is a unique example by itself – formed by the Government of India - comprising representatives of three states with conservation organizations, scientific institutes and community and experts to get to the core of the issue.

Mr. Romulus Whitaker – popularly referred to as the crocodile man of India – has been working on reptilian and amphibian species for over 40 years and leads the Gharial Conservation Alliance – a group of like-minded conservationists and organizations that share conservation mandate. He is a member of the Crisis Management Group and commented: “These gharial deaths are like an attack right on target: one species, one size-class and one stretch of river”.

It is important to note that gharial casualties are reported only on a 35-kilometre stretch before the confluence, and no casualties have been reported among any other freshwater species that share habitat with gharials.

Mr. Singh further cautioned, “There is no room for complacency – while casualties are now reported from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, upstream stretches of Chambal (in Rajasthan) should not be considered safe.”

WWF together with other agencies has stepped up monitoring activities on the Chambal River around the impacted site (see map). WWF-India has established a field station for coordination purposes and as Dr. Parikshit Gautam, Director of the Freshwater and Wetlands Programme of WWF-India, explains: “Our fully equipped crisis-management station in Etawah is coordinating with forest departments and local communities and constantly monitoring the river for any sick or sluggish animal.” He added, “We are now facilitating post mortems on site instead of sending the specimens to labs thereby saving time, and getting sharper results.”

A team of international veterinarians and crocodile experts – on government’s request - is working closely with scientists from Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) and other in country vets. Early results point to levels of heavy metals - Lead and Cadmium – leading to immuno-suppression (or reduction in body’s ability to fight pathogens) and thereby making them susceptible to infections. Post mortems on gharials show debilitating gout as affecting the animals.

Dr. Sandeep Behera, Freshwater Species coordinator with WWF-India said, “We are not ruling out any possibility. Whatever may be the reason for these deaths, one thing is certain: the situation is as grim as 1970s when the number of gharials had plummeted to an all-time low and the population could be restored only after government supported conservation efforts.”

Dr Behera concludes, “The level of cooperation between the central government, three-state governments and various agencies is remarkable, and we hope that through our concerted action we are able to restore the glory of the gharial or the monarch of Indian rivers, and ensure their undisturbed existence in Chambal.”

Anshuman Atroley works as Communications Manager with WWF-India and was on a site visit last week.