TAG: GS 3: ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
THE CONTEXT: World Crocodile Day 2024 marks a significant milestone in India’s crocodile conservation efforts.
EXPLANATION:
- This year commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Crocodile Conservation Project initiated in 1975 in Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park.
Crocodile Conservation Project
- It was launched in 1975 with the assistance of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
- India launched the Crocodile Conservation Project in response to the severe threat faced by its crocodilian populations due to indiscriminate hunting and habitat loss.
- The project aimed to protect natural habitats and boost populations through captive breeding.
- This initiative was supported by the United Nations and the Government of India and included significant contributions from HR Bustard, an Australian herpetologist and expert from the Food and Agriculture Organization.
- At the start of the project, the saltwater crocodile population in Bhitarkanika was critically low, with only 95 individuals, including 34 adults.
- The primary objective was to create a safe environment for these reptiles and enhance their numbers through systematic breeding programs.
Species Under Conservation
- Estuarine or Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)
- It native to saltwater habitats, brackish wetlands and freshwater rivers from India’s east coast across Southeast Asia and the Sundaic region to northern Australia and Micronesia.
- The estuarine crocodile inhabits only three locations in India today: Bhitarkanika, the Sundarbans, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- The saltwater crocodile is the largest living reptile on earth.
- It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 1996.
- It was hunted for its skin throughout its range up to the 1970s, and is threatened by illegal killing and habitat loss. It is regarded as dangerous to humans.
- Mugger or Marsh Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris)
- The mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) is a medium-sized broad-snouted crocodile, also known as mugger and marsh crocodile.
- It is native to freshwater habitats from southern Iran to the Indian subcontinent, where it inhabits marshes, lakes, rivers and artificial ponds.
- It rarely reaches a body length of 5 m (16 ft 5 in) and is a powerful swimmer, but also walks on land in search of suitable waterbodies during the hot season.
- Both young and adult mugger crocodiles dig burrows to which they retreat when the ambient temperature drops below 5 °C (41 °F) or exceeds 38 °C (100 °F).
- Females dig holes in the sand as nesting sites and lay up to 46 eggs during the dry season.
- The sex of hatchlings depends on temperature during incubation. Both parents protect the young for up to one year.
- They feed on insects, and adults prey on fish, reptiles, birds and mammals.
- Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)
- The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), also known as gavial or fish-eating crocodile, is a crocodilian in the family Gavialidae and among the longest of all living crocodilians.
- Mature females are 2.6 to 4.5 m (8 ft 6 in to 14 ft 9 in) long, and males 3 to 6 m (9 ft 10 in to 19 ft 8 in).
- Adult males have a distinct boss at the end of the snout, which resembles an earthenware pot known as a ghara, hence the name “gharial”.
- The gharial is well adapted to catching fish because of its long, narrow snout and 110 sharp, interlocking teeth.
Achievements of the Conservation Program
- As of the latest reptile census in 2024, the population of saltwater crocodiles in Bhitarkanika has surged to 1,811 individuals.
- This remarkable recovery stands as a testament to the success of the conservation program initiated 50 years ago.
- The program involved setting up breeding and rearing centers for salties, muggers, and gharials across 34 sites in states like West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha.
- These centers played a crucial role in stabilizing and increasing crocodile populations.
Challenges and Ongoing Concerns
- Despite the successes, a significant ongoing challenge was highlighted: the increasing human-crocodile conflict in Bhitarkanika.
- With the rising crocodile population, encounters between humans and crocodiles have become more frequent, leading to tragic incidents and fatalities.
- Since 2014, there have been 50 deaths attributed to crocodile attacks in the region.
- To address this issue, forest officials have implemented various measures, including erecting barricades around 120 river ghats in and around Bhitarkanika to prevent crocodile attacks on humans.
- However, the conflict remains a contentious issue, even influencing local political dynamics.
- During recent elections, many villagers expressed their dissatisfaction with the incumbent politicians’ efforts to address the crocodile threat.
