A small pool of approximately 600 square
metre size is now home to 25 adult Gharials
and more than 40 sub-adult juveniles of
different age groups. Besides, more than
50 hatchlings have been added during the
past two months.
In the months of May and June every year
30 to 40 hatchlings are added due to successful
nesting but a few survive due to competition
for space and food. The number of new born
Gharials this year has been more than in
the previous years.
It is evident that the number of Gharials
in the Gharial pool is much more than it
can sustain and the pool is over crowded.
"If their number is not reduced, there
is likelihood of casualty due to infighting
for space, food and for mating purpose,"
a senior zoo official said on Wednesday.
The conservation breeding programme for
the endangered Gharials had started in Nandankanan
by bringing a male Gharial from the Frankfurt.
The programme worked out to be a very successful
as the mating and nesting took place as
predicted and the first batch of hatchlings
were out in the year 1980.
As per the mandate of the programme, the
Gharials bred successfully in Nandankanan
were released in the nature with effect
from 1986 in its natural habitat in Satkosia
Gorge and Tikarpada in Mahanadi river. A
total of 501 Gharials were released in Mahanadi
from the Nandankanan in 11 batches till
2000.
It was, however, observed that the survival
rate Gharial in the wild was not encouraging
due to various adverse factors like change
in the hydrological regime, construction
of various hydrological structures upstream
that altered the flow pattern, hydro-periods
of the river and other biotic interferences
such as destructive fishing and pollution.
Very few Gharials are now sighted in Mahanadi.
The authorities of Nandankanan, however,
are helpless. With little space available
to keep the juveniles, they have now suggested
to release the Gharials in Mahanadi again
with a meticulous habitat survey and post
release monitoring mechanism to monitor
their movement.
The authorities have already submitted
a proposal to the Wildlife Institute of
India to come up with a research project
for habitat evaluation by way of survey
of Mahanadi and post release monitoring
of the Gharials proposed to be released.
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