Save the Gharials

Gharials are the only Crocodilian with visible sexual dimorphism.

Gharials have weak legs so they are mostly aquatic, and when they do go onto land to bask they slide on their bellies.

Male Gharials have been documented protecting dozens of hatchlings, even if that hatching is not their own.

They are some of the largest Crocodilians, the male can get up to 20 foot long, and the females can get up to 14-15 foot long

            Gharials serve a very niche role in their ecosystem. Gharials are an indicator species meaning their presence means their habitat is biodiverse and healthy. They are a keystone species,keeping fish populations under control as well as moving nutrients from the Riverbend to the surface, as well as from the surface to the Riverbed. 

Gharials are listed in appendix I on the CITES list.

        What is happening to the gharial to cause them to be critically endangered? 

Sand mining 

Poaching

Overfishing

Pollution 

Dams and barges

Natural predators 

        The sand mining and damming is causing harmful disruptions in the Gharials habitats. It changes how the river flows, disrupting sand banks and shallows that are vital for the gharails to bask as well as nest.

           People poach gharials for their skin and meat, for traditional medicines, collect their eggs for food, and because fishermen view them as competition. 

             Speaking of the fisherman, over fishing isn't just a problem because it dwindles the gharial’s food source .Gharials also get entangled in the nets the fisherman use, and gharials' long snouts are prone to snapping off in the nets. This can lead to infection, or starvation. 

         Gharials now only cover about 2% of their historic habitat range, their populations having declined roughly 98% since the 1940s.

            What is being done to help the gharials?

      There are conservation efforts going on! Such as:

The gharial ecological project, run by chambal sanctuary 

The Gandak Gharial Recovery Project, run by The Wildlife Trust of India

The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust

The Gharial Breeding Center, located in Chitwan National Park

       There are also zoos that help with the conservation efforts, such as:

Fort Worth Zoo. (They even have their own ‘adopt’ a gharail programs- usa residences only)

Los Angeles zoo

Bronx zoo

   Are there any issues that are affecting Gharial conservation?

        Yes, many issues plague the gharials numbers. The Sand mining, poaching, and overfishing are still currently major issues. On top of that, gharial populations are segmented, making protection difficult

       What can the average person do to help? 

Spread awareness! The more people who know,  the more people who will care.

Do research! Well informed people can handle an issue better.

Donate to zoos or conservation initiatives. Conservation can be expensive. Professional research needs machines, tools, manpower and staff. Gharials need to be fed and well taken care of.

     Helping the gharials would also help other species as well, several types of fish, The mugger crocodile, The Ganges River Dolphin, The Smooth-Coated Otter, The Indian Skimmer, and The Red-Crowned Roof Turtle. Saving the gharial would also be saving an ecosystem. 

   Thank you for reading this post, The gharials and I appreciate it.

                   Have a wonderful rest of your day!

          Save The Gharials