PS Anand
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The gharial came incredibly close to extinction in the 1970s, but a long-term captive breeding and re-introduction program was instrumental in improving the species status in the wild over the following decades. Despite these efforts, between 1997 and 2006, the wild population declined by 58 percent from 436 to just 182 breeding adults. Habitat loss and degradation poses the biggest threat to this species’ survival as the human population explosion of the Indian subcontinent continues to encroach on the river systems where it is found. Dams, irrigation projects, sand mining and artificial embankments have all encroached on the gharial’s habitat, reducing its range to just two percent of what it was.
Description Source :- www.arkive.org/gharial/gavialis-gangeticus/
Hide & Seek
The gharial came incredibly close to extinction in the 1970s, but a long-term captive breeding and re-introduction program was instrumental in improving the species status in the wild over the following decades. Despite these efforts, between 1997 and 2006, the wild population declined by 58 percent from 436 to just 182 breeding adults. Habitat loss and degradation poses the biggest threat to this species’ survival as the human population explosion of the Indian subcontinent continues to encroach on the river systems where it is found. Dams, irrigation projects, sand mining and artificial embankments have all encroached on the gharial’s habitat, reducing its range to just two percent of what it was.
Description Source :- www.arkive.org/gharial/gavialis-gangeticus/