Status profile - 15
Status and Conservation of Gharial in Nepal
Dr. Tirtha M Maskey

The adult male gharial develops a large, cartilaginous protuberance on the end of its snout, and, in fact, the name gharial originated from the resemblance of the protuberance to a ghara or earthenware pot common in India and Nepal (Smith 1931). Mystical beliefs have been attributed to the ghara in Nepal. Local tribesmen (specially the Tharu) believed that a ghara placed under the pillow of an expectant women relieved and speeded labor (Mishra and Maskey 1981). They also believed that when the ghara is made into incense and burned in their fields, crops are freed of insects and other pests.

Gharial eggs were believed to have medicinal value in part of Nepal. The local Tharu community believed that gharial eggs are aphrodisiac and medicinal value. For example, the dry powder of the egg is considered to be effective as a cough medicine (Maskey 1989). The local tribesmen also used eggs as the substitute of their meal. As the eggs do not test well, they were mixed with flour and prepared as bread (Maskey 1994).

 Geographic Range & Distribution in Nepal

Historically, the gharial was abundant in all the large river systems of the Indian sub-continent. Its range extended throughout the Gangetic plain, west to the Indus River in Pakistan, north and north-east to Nepal and Bhutan, east to Burma, and south to Orissa in India (Neill 1971). The gharial is now restricted to scattered, isolated population in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. It has been reported to be extinct in Burma and Pakistan (Behura and Singh 1978).

Until the early 1960s, gharials were found in all the major river systems of Nepal, including the Mahakali, Karnali, Babai, and Rapti rivers in western Nepal, the Kali Gandaki and Narayani rivers in central Nepal and the Koshi River in eastern Nepal. By the late 1970s, there had been a drastic depletion in their abundance and distribution; in fact, the wild gharial had become extinct in the Mahakali and Rapti rivers in western Nepal and Koshi River in eastern Nepal.

 Many Factors Contributed to the Decline of the Gharial Population:

Habitat loss and disturbances, lack of strict enforcement of existing laws, entrapment in nylon gill nets introduced for fishing, construction of reservoirs and barrage in suitable habitat, and poaching of eggs by the local people for medicine and food. Collectively, these factors have resulted in the gharial becoming one of the rarest and most endangered crocodilians in Nepal. The gharial population in Nepal would probably be on the verge of extinction were it not for the present gharial conservation project. Gharials in Nepal are fully protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1973, and are listed as "endangered species" in the IUCN Red Data Book 1975.

A field study of gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) was conducted in the Royal Chitwan National Park and Royal Bardia National park during 1997 to determine the status of gharial in the Kali, Narayani, Karnali and Babai river systems of Nepal. Systematic survey conducted in December reveals that a minimum of 55 wild gharials and 50 released gharials survived in the Narayani, Kali, Karnali and Babai rivers. The sex ratio of wild gharial 1 male to 10 females was at a critical stage. The low number of males was attributed to the heavy poaching of males in the past. The population may be sustained by releasing captive-released gharials.

 Study Area

The study was conducted in the Karnali and Babai rivers of Royal Bardia National Park and Narayani and Kali rivers of the Royal Chitwan National Park in central Nepal. The Narayani Nepal's third largest river flows through a relatively low gradient and is fed principally by two major rivers, the Kali and Trisuli, which originate in the Himalayan region. The Narayani River has a maximum width of a kilometer and consists of many channels and islands. It swells to a maximum level during the monsoon of June-September, and carries a high sediment load. During the dry season (December-March) the river recedes to the center of the flood plain, and is fed by snow melt water from the Himalayas. The river is flanked by sand banks, rocks, and stands of phragmites (Phragmites karka) and other grasses.

The Mugu Karnali rivers, originating in Ladakh Himal, joins the Humla Karnali which originates in China (Tibet), giving rise to the Karnali river. The Karnali, which flows for 507 km., is characterized by many gorges. One of the areas that provided habitat for gharials was the Chisapani Gorge, which lies in the Royal Bardia National Park in western Nepal. This habitat was severly degraded by the construction of a bridge over the Chisapani Gorge.

 Methods

Surveys of gharial were conducted in the Karnali and Babai rivers of Royal Bardia National Park and the Narayani and Kali rivers of the Royal Chitwan National Park. Surveys were conducted from dugout canoes with the help of the members of the local ethnic culture, the Bote. The main livelihood of the Bote is derived from fishing in the rivers and consequently, they are very familiar with the habits and natural history of the gharial. During the study period, the entire length of the Narayani, Karnali, and Babai rivers within the park area, and Kali River outside the park was surveyed and the estimated size, sex, and location of sighted animals were recorded. The number of gharials in the Koshi River was recorded on the basis of the warden report.

 Results

Approximately minimum of 55 wild and about 50 released gharials were extant in Nepal in 1997 whereas it was about 58 wild and 70 released in 1993. The largest single population of wild gharial, consisting of minimum 36 adult was found in the Narayani and Kali rivers. The smallest numbers of minimum of 2 wild gharials were estimated from Rapti (west) river in western Nepal. Similarly among the released gharials, 21 were

 Table 1 Present status of wild and released gharials in Nepal

recorded from Narayani and 4 from the Koshi River.

In Chitwan Sharma (1977) reported a population of 58 wild gharials in the Kali and Narayani rivers. Minimum population estimates of 53, 60, 57, 56, and 51 wild gharials were calculated from 1980, 1983, 1984, 1986, and 1987 surveys respectively, in the Narayani and Kali rivers (Maskey, 1989).

Hundreds of gharials were observed on the Narayani River prior to the construction of Gandak barrage near the Indo-Nepalese border in 1964. In the early 1950s, about 235 gharials were counted along the river between Narayanghat and Tribeni (Juthe Ram pers. comm.). The gharial had been exterpated by poachers and barrage construction (Jung Prasad pers. comm.). Similarly many gharials and muggers were observed on the upper and lower Karnali River prior to the survey of Karnali dam site in 1970s (Krishna Man pers. comm.), but at present the population of gharial in the Karnali River is highly uncertain. The local people living near Karnali River reported that earlier in 1960s, they observed as many as 20 gharials in one spot of the Kachali area (Shrestha 1990). He also reported 9 muggers, 11 gharials in the various spot of the Karnali River, whereas 10 gharials were detected in both 1978 and 1979 (Bhim Gurung pers. comm.). A survey conducted in 1987 reported the occurrence of seven adult and two juvenile gharials in the Karnali River, seven in Babai River, and three or less in the Rapti River of western Nepal (Krishna Man pers. comm.). During the field survey in Karnali River, seven adult gharials all females were observed in the upper Karnali River (Chisapani Gorge area), whereas not a single gharial was observed in the lower area.

During the monson season, wild gharials enter into the tributaries to avoid the increase force of waterflow in the Narayani River. A maximum of five wild gharials was counted in the Rapti River of Royal Chitwan National Park.

The visually observed sex ratio of the gharial in the Narayani, Karnali and Babai rivers strongly favors females represent a problem. The highest sex ratio of the gharial 1 male to 6 females was recorded in 1984, I male to 9 females in 1987 and 1 male to 10 females in 1993 and 1997. The low number of male can be attributed directly to a heavy poaching of the male in the past; temperature effects on incubation/hatching in the natural condition. In the future releasing more captive reared males will ncrease the male gharial number, however that strategy does not lessen the severity of the current situation.

 Conservation Strategy

The survival of the gharial in Nepal is threatened primarily by continuous habitat destruction that is related to increasing human pressure on the environment due to extensive agriculture, firewood collection, cattle grazing, grass cutting and heavy traffic in the river course. Since the gharial population has continued to decline, conservation measures are necessary to protect the surviving population. Fewer than 1% of all gharials hatched in nature reach a length of 2m, a length at which they are generally secure from nature predation (Singh 1978). One breeding female may lay from 14 to 62 eggs in a clutch (Maskey 1989), but the eggs generally fall victim to predators, to poachers and particularly to flooding. To protect this animal from extinction, His Majesty's Government of Nepal strongly supported by the Frankfurt Zoological Society, launched its Gharial Conservation Project in Royal Chitwan National Park in 1978. The objective of the Chitwan rehabilitation project are to protect natural nest sites, to carefully collect and incubate the wild eggs, and to rear hatchlings to a length of 2m for restocking in the major river systems in Nepal. A similar project was initiated in Royal Bardia National Park Headquarter, but later abandoned because of heavy flooding in the rearing facilities. At present it is renovated and the facilities raised some hatchlings from the Babai River.

Since 1981, the gharial conservation project adopted several strategies. It included released of the captive reared gharials into the major river systems, updating the status of wild and released gharials in Nepal, identifying suitable habitat for reintroduction and protection, collection of wild eggs from the Kali and Narayani rivers. The strategy also included incubation, and rearing at Kasara, reintroduction of captive reared stock, and long term monitoring of the effectiveness of the reintroduction.

 References

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Gmelin, JF (1789) - Linne susteme naturae. Leipzig ed. 13. 1978 (1): 1057

IUCN (1975) - IUCN Red Data Book. Inter. Union. For Conserv. of Nat. and Natural Resour. Morges, Switzerland.

Martin, BG and DA Bellairs (1977) - The narial excrescence and pterygoid bulla of the gharial, Gavialis gangeticus (Crocodilia). J. Zool. London, 182: 541-558.

Maskey, TM (1989) - Movement and survival of captive reared gharial Gavialis gangeticus in the Narayani River, Nepal. PhD. Dissertation, University of Florida, USA.

Maskey, TM and HF Percival (1994) - Status and conservation of gharial in Nepal. Paper submitted to XIIth Working Meeting of Crocodile Specialist Group. Pattaya, Thailand.

Mishra, HR and TM Maskey (1981) - Saving the gharial crocodile. Die Inter. Zeitschrift fur Tier, Mench undue Nat. 15 _ 18.

Neill, WT (1971) - The last of the ruling reptiles: alligator, crocodiles, and their Kin. Columbia Univ. Press, Ithaca, New York, N. Y. 486 p.

Sharma, MS (1977) - Report on the survey of gharial in the Narayani River system. Report submitted to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Kathmandu, Nepal. 15 p. (mimeo).

Shrestha, TK (1990) - Resource ecology of the Himalayan waters: A study of ecology, biology and management strategy of fresh waters. Curriculum Development Centre, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Singh, VB (1978) - Status of the gharial in UP and its rehabilitation. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 75(3):668-683.

Smith, MA (1931) - The fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma. Reptiles and Amphibia. 1. London. Taylor and Francis Ltd, London. 185 p.