Punjab releases 23 captive-bred gharials in Beas reserve

Gharials, sometimes called gavials, are a type of Asian crocodilian distinguished by their long, thin snouts.
Gharials exhibit sexual dimorphism — or differences in characteristics between males and females of the same species — in both size and appearance which are absent in other crocodile species.
Adult gharials primarily eat fish, while juveniles also feed on insects, crustaceans and frogs.
Adult males develop a bulbous growth at the tip of their snout, called a “ghara” after the Indian pot it resembles. The ghara has several functions. It partially covers the crocodile’s nostrils and acts as a vocal resonator, creating a loud, buzzing sound when the gharial vocalizes. It is also a visual signal for females, helping males attract a mate.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the species as critically endangered. The biggest threats it faces are related to human activities.
Gharial populations have declined as much as 98 percent since the 1940s due to human activities like hunting for traditional medicine and dam-making.
Once found from Pakistan to Myanmar, the Gharial’s range has shrunk to two countries: India, along the Chambal, Girwa, and Son Rivers; and Nepal, along the Narayani River.
It is listed in schedule 1 of Wildlife Protection Act and covered under Appendix I of the CITES.

The Beas Conservation Reserve is a 185-kilometre stretch of the Beas River located primarily in the north-west of the State of Punjab.
The River meanders down from the Himalayan foothills to the Harike Headworks, where its course is diverted into a number of channels.
The Reserve also hosts the only known population in India of the endangered Indus river dolphin.
It is a Ramsar Site.

Punjab under the Gharial reintroduction programme, in its 2nd phase, has released 23 captive-bred juveniles in the Beas conservation reserve.
The 1st phase was done in the year 2017-18 and it has given promising results.
These gharials were brought from Morena in Madhya Pradesh where their captive breeding was done.
A joint team of the wildlife division and WWF-India has been formed for daily monitoring for next one month.
The ambitious scheme of the Punjab government aspires to establish a breeding population of these critically endangered gharials in the rivers of Punjab.

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