Protection of Ghariyal in India

As per Indian mythology, Gharial is the vahana of Goddess Ganga and Varuna, the god of water. It is a river dwelling fish-eater, but usually harmless to humans.

It lives in deep fast-flowing rivers. The bulbous ‘ghara’ on the tip of the snout of mature males just above the nostrils, helps in creating a snorting hiss to advertise the animal’s presence, and dominance.

Distribution

Gharials are endemic to the Indian sub-continent. Once found abundantly in all the major river systems of South Asia, the Gharial is now extinct in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma and Bhutan. Nepal has only a remnant breeding population.

In India too, the major breeding populations are confined to two rivers only, Girwa and the Chambal. The two rivers run along the borders of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. A few non-breeding populations exist in small pockets in other rivers in India.

Gharial is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ in the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. Between 2007-2008, over 100 Gharials in the Chambal perished in a mystery die-off attributed to a nephrotoxin possibly originating from contaminated fish in the Yamuna.