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Conservation |
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| Photo : Nick Baker |
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| Threats |
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Gharials face a number of threats, but at present the
most significant are habitat destruction and
death caused by illegal
fishing and turtle poaching. Gharials face these
threats even within protected areas. The Chambal river,
the last stronghold of gharials, is under
particular threat from illegal fishing, turtle poaching, and
sand-mining,
which are carried out by organized armed groups, making
enforcement and even research activities difficult and
dangerous. |
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Habitat Destruction |
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Agriculture |
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Increasing riverbank use for agriculture is a widespread
problem throughout gharial range areas. As the rivers
recede agriculture advances on the river banks, further
limiting the few nesting and basking areas available for gharials. |
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Riverside agriculture
Photo : Laurel Converse |
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Sand-Mining |
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Sand extraction is allowed outside of protected areas
but continues even along the riverbanks within the
National Chambal Sanctuary. Large-scale sand-mining
destroys the sandy banks required by gharials and
turtles for nesting and basking, and causes disruption
to nesting and basking behaviour. |
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Sand-mining on the bank of the Chambal River
Photo : Laurel Converse |
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Livestock Grazing |
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Cattle, water buffalo, and goats are grazed along the
riverbanks of many gharial habitat areas, causing destruction of
sandy banks and gharial nests. |
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Livestock grazing near the Chambal River
Photo : Laurel Converse |
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Disturbance |
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Gharials are shy and wary animals, so
human activity and livestock grazing cause disturbance
of natural gharial activity such as nesting and basking. |
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Pollution and Siltation |
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Pollution and siltation of rivers are
damaging fish stocks upon which gharials depend, as well
as threatening the numerous other species of animals and
plants within the river ecosystem.
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Dams, Barrages, and Irrigation Projects |
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Dams, barrages, and irrigation projects are changing the
courses and water levels of the rivers. In some areas
diversion of rivers and extraction of water for
irrigation have drastically lowered river levels, making
some former habitat now inhospitable for gharials,
especially during the dry season. In some areas the
release of monsoon overflow waters from dams, or the
release of water for dam maintenance, has a devastating
tidal-wave like effect on gharials. Many gharials are
washed out of Protected Areas by these floodwaters,
where they are more likely to be killed, and are
sometimes washed all the way out to sea. This is thought
to be a significant source of mortality in hatchling
gharials. |
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Fishing and Turtle
Poaching |
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Gharials are often caught in fishing nets, their long
slender snouts easily becoming entangled in the fine
nets. Unable to surface to breathe, many drown. Others
break free but with nets wrapped around their snouts
they may starve to death. Often when gharials are found
entangled in nets their heads or snouts are cut off by
fishermen. A gharial can survive for some time with its
snout chopped off, but will slowly die by starvation
over many months. Gharials are also caught and
killed in long lines of hooks set for turtle poaching.
Recently young gharials have also been found snared in
noose traps designed to catch ducks.
Overfishing in some areas is threatening the prey base
of gharials. Gharials are sometimes blamed for dwindling fish
populations, making some fishermen unsympathetic and
even hostile towards gharials. Gharials are sometimes killed
by fishermen that see them as a threat to their
livelihoods.
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Juvenile gharial caught in a noose trap set
for ducks
Photo : Shailendra Singh |
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Adult gharial with snout
cut off
Photo : Harry Andrews |
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