The Gharial is one of the world's most magnificent reptiles. This 20 foot 2000lb fish-eating crocodile evolved with the dinosaurs, and its 150 million year reign in rivers throughout the world, from Spain to Japan, has made it one of the most successful species the planet has ever seen.
Today its future hangs by a thread. In September 2007 the Gharial was officially recognized as "Critically Endangered" by the IUCN , meaning it was one small step away from extinction in the wild. Its numbers had decreased to around 200 breeding adults in only a handful of rivers in India and Nepal.
Then in December 2007 on the Chambal River Sanctuary in northern India Gharial began dying in mysterious circumstances. The following five months saw the death of over 100 animals, or nearly 10% of the entire wild population but no one had any idea of the cause.
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"The survival of the gharial is very closely linked to the survival of our major north Indian rivers and indeed to our own survival"
- Rom Whitaker |
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Website supported by :
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Gharial Conservation Alliance |
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