BAHRAICH: A gharial, categorised as critically endangered species, was found dead near Gerua village in Katarniaghat wildlife sanctuary near here, a senior forest official said. The 4.48 metre long gharial was found dead at a mound near the river yesterday and his age was estimated to be around 90 years, range officer M K Shukla said.

The post-mortem report has suggested natural death. The gharial is one of three crocodilian species found in India.

LUCKNOW: Ganga has been chosen as abode for the young ghariyals this year too. The Kukrail Rehabilitation Centre will release 150 ghariyals in Hastinapur sanctuary along the Ganga. The first lot of 75 ghariyals was released towards the start of the month, while the second lot will be released by the end of December. The forest department releases the artificially-reared young ghariyals, every winter, in the wild. As part of the routine exercise, young reptiles will be released in the Hastinapur sanctuary of Meerut division which exists along the Ganga, this year.

The Jim Corbett National Park, mainland Asia’s oldest, has turned 75 with plans to improve surveillance and protection of the tigers that it has already been conserving in one of the biggest success stories of Project Tiger in India. On Tuesday, it will officially launch its platinum jubilee when all five zones of the park will be opened for the tourist season till mid-June.

LUCKNOW: With 90% of the ghariyal hatchlings born during June surviving at the ghariyal rehabilitation centre in Kukrail, the chances of ghariyal population declining in the centre remains a remote possibility, even as the centre braces to release its two-year old ghariyal population in the wild this winter.

JAIPUR: The state government on Thursday claimed that the Supreme Court has allowed it to construct a bridge across the Chambal River near village Makhida in Bundi district.

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The Kawai fish carrying heavy metals like lead and cadmium are entering the Chambal River from the polluted areas of the Yamuna River and are posing threat to the gharials of National Chambal Sanctuary areas falling in Madhya Pradesh.

Locals say that the gharials who eat Kawai fish suffer from liver cirrhosis.

On the one hand it was a major shot in the arm for the Kamala Nehru Zoo in Madhya Pradesh, with the hatching of 16 baby crocodiles of the endangered reptile species; on the other hand there were reports of

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Worried over the diminishing number of amphibians in the Chambal River due to pollution, the forest department is going to measure and enumerate the amphibians. In this regard, a survey would be conducted from February 4-17, enumerating ghariyals, crocodiles, dolphins, and tortoise.