Bettiah: The Gandak river, which flows along the India-Nepal border through West Champaran district of Bihar, has emerged as the second major river after the Chambal with the highest number of gharials, also known as fish-eating crocodiles.According to officials, sustained joint efforts by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the forest and environment climate department have led to a rise in the gharial population in the Gandak river. While the number of adult or large gharials has increased from 54 in 2015 to over 400 in 2025, systematic conservation and release programmes have pushed the total gharial population, including juveniles and hatchlings, beyond 1,000, making the Gandak the second-largest gharial habitat after the Chambal within the species’ distribution range across India, Nepal and Bangladesh. THe Chambal river houses over 2,400 gharials.West Champaran conservator of forests and field director Neshamani K said the Gandak river, which flows through the Valmiki Tiger Reserve, provides a favourable habitat for aquatic life and is therefore well suited for gharials. He said improved management and focused conservation measures have resulted in an annual growth rate of 20 to 22% in the river’s gharial population. Data from 2015 to 2025 shows an overall increase of around 588% in the number of adult gharials in the Gandak.He added that only 10 gharials were sighted in the Gandak during 2010-11 while a detailed survey conducted in 2015 recorded 54 gharials in the river. He said between 2015 and 2025, as many as 944 gharials were released into the Gandak after hatching along a 326-km stretch from Valmikinagar to Sonepur, including 212 released in 2025 alone. Co-project investigator of the Gandak Gharial Recovery Project Samir Kumar Sinha said the river has played a historic role in gharial conservation. He said in 1975, eggs collected from the Gandak were used to initiate India’s first captive breeding and release programme at the gharial conservation unit in Tikarpada, Odisha. He added that today the Gandak is recognised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as one of the six major gharial habitats in the world, following sustained efforts by the Wildlife Trust of India in collaboration with the department of environment, forest and climate change, govt of Bihar.Sinha said the global population of gharials had declined by nearly 98%. A 58% reduction in the adult population was recorded between 1997 and 2006. He said this alarming decline led to the species being classified as “critically endangered” in 2007. He added that the latest IUCN assessment in 2019 showed encouraging signs of recovery, estimating around 650 breeding adult gharials worldwide. He said gharials are non-aggressive by nature and do not pose a threat to humans.Sinha said nest protection begins with the identification of gharial breeding congregation sites through river surveys conducted from early to mid-Feb. He said these sites are regularly monitored by local communities, volunteers and WTI biologists. According to him, female gharials begin trial nesting from late March to early April, followed by actual nesting and egg-laying.He said the gharial project team locates active nests and assigns nest watchers from nearby communities to protect them from predation, erosion and trampling. Frontline forest department staff also provide support in this process. He said nests located in erosion-prone areas are carefully relocated away from the riverbank into hand-dug nests by trained team members. These relocated nests are monitored until successful hatching after an incubation period of 60-70 days with assistance from the project team. The hatchlings are then released into the river near the mother, who often remains in the vicinity awaiting them.He said the recovery of gharials in the Gandak river clearly demonstrates that even critically endangered species can be brought back if conservation actions are strategic, inclusive and focused on addressing site-specific threats. He said the success has been achieved through the combined efforts of the Wildlife Trust of India, the forest department and local communities with a strong emphasis on improving breeding success and ensuring long-term protection.
