Biting back! Rare gharial finds new haven in Uttarakhand national park

The population of critically endangered fresh water crocodiles - popularly known as gharial - is all set to rise in Uttarakhand.



The Jim Corbett National Park, spread across the state's Nainital, Pauri and Almora districts, has witnessed an impressive nesting and hatching season this year, says a preliminary survey on the gharial.



The final report is slated to come by the year end. A dense tiger population in the reserve attracts wildlife lovers from across the world. In times to come, the increasing gharial population would woo more nature lovers to the state.



Rare: The Jim Corbett National Park boasts of one of the largest populations of gharials in India

The latest study indicates that gharials are breeding naturally and successfully in the reserve forest. Wildlife conservationist Subir Mario Chowfin, who has been studying the population trends of gharials and other crocodilian species at Corbett since 2008, said: "I arrived at the Corbett tiger reserve in February 2008. I was to make a startling discovery as the Corbett reserve, which was never known to have gharials, harboured at least a 100, including 42 adults."

The Corbett park boasts of one of the largest populations of gharials in India. The nesting and hatching season that concluded in June this year has brought big cheers to the tiger reserve authorities.



The survey clearly indicates that the population has increased, but wildlife lovers will have to wait till the year end for the final figure.



Nesting and hatching have been detected in Takia Sot and Dhikala areas of the Corbett tiger reserve.



Reproduction: Nesting and hatching have been detected in Takia Sot and Dhikala areas of the Corbett tiger reserve

In the 2013 breeding season, a minimum of 13 egg clutches were traced in Boksar area and a boom in the number of baby gharials was recorded in the area. As many as 400 hatchlings were also found there.



"Gharials are usually found to be breeding in a flowing water system but the population in the tiger reserve has adjusted to reservoir condition and is probably the only population of the species to be living in a lake–like environment.



"It would be recalled that the surveys in 1974, before the damming of the Ramganga River, had predicted that the species would not survive in the altered habitats," deputy director of the Corbett tiger reserve Saket Badola said.



This time, multi-method approaches were adopted for the survey. It included incorporation of trail cameras, boat surveys along the shorelines, stationary counts and foot surveys.

