Gharial Breeding Center at National Chambal Sanctuary || A sincere effort at breeding and rehabilitating Gharials and Crocodiles in Deori, Madhya Pradesh
The Gharial is a fish-eating crocodile found in the rivers of Northern and Central India. The males of the species have a distinct boss at the end of their snout, the shape of which resembles a Ghara. Once widespread, the gharials are now restricted to just 2% of their original range. Gharials are critically endangered, with just 900 individuals reported as surviving in the wild in the year 2017.
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Gharials have been declared extinct in Pakistan, Bhutan and Myanmar, whereas focused rehabilitation efforts are in place in India and Nepal. Despite these efforts the populations are fragile. A lot of this is due to loss of habitat. Gharials like to breed on sandy banks of the river and because of sand mining, the habitat is unstable. Nevertheless the efforts are commendable.
One of such efforts is the Gharial Breeding Center at Deori, near Morena, in Madhya Pradesh. The Center is on the Mumbai-Agra Highway (NH-44) and is open from 9AM till 5PM for visitors. It is a nice property, spacious and well-laid out. If you want to take a break from your drive, this can be a good place to walk around.
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The center has various cages that house gharials of similar age groups. One cage contains baby Gharials who have almost just hatched, a couple has juveniles, and one has almost full-grown individuals that seem ready to be released into the wild. The center also breeds crocodiles and we also saw some tortoises, not sure if they too are bred in captivity.
The center has released several batches into the wild and is responsible for a steady increase in the Gharial population in Chambal river over the years. It is exciting to see human beings putting such well-meaning and sustained efforts into conservation of endangered species. If only, some substantial measures could also be taken to ensure that the habitats too could be protected against exploitative human practices.
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