103 crocodiles released in Rapti River

CHITWAN: A total of 103 crocodiles raised at the Gharial (Crocodile) Breeding Centre in Kasara of Chitwan have been released in the Rapti River at different times since mid-July, 2024. Of them, one is male and remaining are females.

According to Chitwan National Park (CNP) information officer Abinash Thapa Magar, the reptiles released in the river were hatched in 2020. Last fiscal year, the CNP had released 105 crocodiles in the river.

The eggs of crocodiles are collected from the river bank to hatch them in artificial conditions at the Centre. The grown-up reptiles are left in the river.

To date, since its establishment in 1978, a total of 2060 crocodiles have been released in various rivers in the country including in Rapti and Narayani. However, the survival rate of this animal is very low.

As Thapa Magar said, during last year’s survey, 152 animals were recorded in Rapti and 113 in Narayani. At present, the Centre is home to 697 crocodiles.

Gharial is an endangered reptile and its existence has been restricted to Nepal and India lately. In the past, it would be found in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar. In 1940, its global number was around 10,000.

In the next thirty years, its number had significantly dropped to be calculated at just two per cent of the previous population in 1970.

During the time of the establishment of the Centre, less than 100 numbers of Gharial were estimated to exist across the country.

Increasing human encroachment on rivers, extraction of river-based products, and fishing are among the factors affecting the natural habitats of the animals.

Similarly, during floods, these animals get swept away beyond the Nepal-India border, it is said.