08 Feb
2008 - More than 90 gharials (Gangeticus
gavialis) have been reported dead in the
last 2 months in the National Chambal Sanctuary
in India for yet-to-be diagnosed reasons.
The monarch of Indian rivers is under severe
threat.
A team of international
veterinarians and crocodile experts - on
government request - is working closely
with scientists from the Indian Veterinary
Research Institute (IVRI). Early results
point to levels of heavy metals - lead and
cadmium – leading to immune-suppression
(or reduction in body’s ability to fight
pathogens) and thereby making them susceptible
to infections. Post mortems on gharials
show debilitating gout affecting the animals.
Situated around the
Chambal River – often claimed the cleanest
river of India – the sanctuary is shared
among the 3 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 the Uttar Pradesh
side of the river, near the confluence of
the Chambal and the Yamuna that flows through
India’s bustling capital, Delhi, and the
historic city of Agra.
Gharials – often confused
with crocodiles – are characterized by their
long and thin snout and the ghara or pot
on their head and eat only fish. They are
one of the most threatened crocodile species
and are classified as critically endangered
by the World Conservation Union.
The species is already
extinct in its former range in Pakistan,
Bhutan, and Myanmar, and most likely also
in Bangladesh. Not more than 1,400 specimens
remain in the wild today, with less than
200 in their breeding age group. Besides
Chambal, gharials are found in isolated
stretches of the Ken, Son, Girwa and Ganges
rivers in India.
“This is a national
crisis - gharials are an important freshwater
species. Too few of them remain in the wild
and the continuing loss indicates a long
term negative effect on the ecosystem.”
said Ravi Singh, WWF-India’s Secretary General
and CEO, chair of the Crisis Management
Group formed by the Indian Government.
The Crisis Management
Group includes representatives of the 3
states, conservation organizations, scientific
institutes and community and experts to
get to the core of the issue.
Romulus Whitaker – popularly
referred to as India’s crocodile man – has
been working on reptilian and amphibian
species for over 40 years and leads the
Gharial Conservation Alliance. Also a member
of the Crisis Management Group, he said:
“These gharial deaths are like an attack
right on target: one species, one size-class
and one stretch of river”.
Gharial casualties have
been reported only on a 35km stretch before
the confluence, and no casualties have been
reported among any other freshwater species
that share habitat with gharials.
Ravi Singh further warned
“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. WWF-India has established a field
station for coordination purposes and as
Dr. Parikshit Gautam, Director of WWF-India’s
Freshwater and Wetlands Programme, 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.”
“We are now facilitating
post mortems on site instead of sending
the specimens to labs, thereby saving time,
and getting better results.”
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 1970 when the number of gharials
had plummeted to an all-time low and their
population could be restored only after
government supported conservation efforts.”
Dr Behera concludes,
“The level of cooperation between the central
government, 3-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, and
ensure their undisturbed existence in Chambal.”
Article by Anshuman Atroley,
Communications Manager, WWF-India