New Delhi: A few years back, a boat trip down the Chambal river
in north India would have yielded a surreal sight — groups of
gharials basking in the sun on the sandy stretches, their long,
slender snouts wide open. Unfortunately, such a sight is rare in
the Chambal today. Not only are the gharials (gavialis
gangeticus), the slender-snouted crocodilian fighting for
survival, their habitat is under greater threat than ever
before. Four years ago, a catastrophe of sorts befell the
Chambal gharial. The river’s resident population began to
suddenly die like flies, for unknown reasons. A total of 81
gharials died — a major loss for breeding individuals of an
already endangered species. But now conservationists are
reporting an improvement in the gharial population of the
Chambal. But they say unless a concerted effort is made by all
quarters, the gharial is headed for extinction. According to
Colin Stevenson, Director, Madras Crocodile Bank, the reasons
for the 2008 deaths were water pollution, combined with extra