- A lone female gharial has temporarily overshadowed the one-horned rhino in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve in eastern Assam.
- Wildlife officials and specialists are uncertain how this gharial came to inhabit a stretch of the Brahmaputra within the park, but they believe the adult-sized reptile is crucial for repopulating the river with gharials.
- The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is distinguished by its elongated snout.
- It was believed to have been wiped out from the Brahmaputra River system in the 1950s, with unverified sightings in the 1990s.
- The female gharial was first spotted in 2021 within the Biswanath Wildlife Division of the 1,307.49-sq. km Kaziranga.
- The Turtle Survival Alliance Foundation India (TSAFI) and the Assam Forest Department surveyed a 160 km stretch of the Brahmaputra from the Kaliabhomora bridge to the Kamalabari Ghat in Majuli.
- The female gharial has been solitary for over three years and is nearly ready to breed.
- One of the 10 recommendations in the survey report is the “high-priority” reintroduction of gharials in the Brahmaputra.
- The tiger reserve has suitable conditions for a gharial breeding program.
- If approved, gharials are likely to be brought from the Kukrail gharial breeding centre near Lucknow.
| Aspect | Mugger (Marsh Crocodile) | Estuarine (Saltwater) Crocodile | Gharial |
| Description | An egg-laying, hole-nesting species, known to be dangerous. | The largest living crocodile species, notorious as a maneater. | Known for their long, thin snouts resembling a pot (ghara in Hindi), relatively harmless and fish-eating. |
| Habitat | Found mainly in the Indian subcontinent, inhabiting freshwater habitats, coastal saltwater lagoons, and estuaries. | Found in Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park, the Sundarbans, Andamans, and Nicobar Islands, as well as Southeast Asia and northern Australia. | Primarily found in the fresh waters of Himalayan rivers, especially the Chambal River. Secondary habitats include Ghagra, Gandak, Girwa, Ramganga, and Sone rivers. |
| Threats | Threatened by habitat destruction, fragmentation, transformation, fishing activities, and use of crocodile parts for medicinal purposes. | Threatened by illegal hunting, habitat loss, and a negative reputation as a maneater. | Threatened by habitat destruction and river pollution. |
| Protection Status | Listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Protected under CITES Appendix I and Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. | Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (except populations in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, which are in Appendix II of CITES). Protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. | Listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Protected under CITES Appendix I and Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. |
Dig Deeper: Read about other species of crocodiles found across the world.
