Three hundred and fifty-two clocks have been found in the Rapti and Narayani rivers. During the recent counting and monitoring conducted by the Chitwan National Park, 200 and 146 crocodiles were found in the Rapti River and 146 in the Narayani River.
Avinash Thapamgar, information officer of the park, said that the number of crocodiles was found in the count made after 14 days from January 12th. Nine park employees and fishermen participated in the
count. In the survey conducted last year, 152 crocodiles were found in Rapti and 113 crocodiles in Narayani. At that time, three roosters were found in Rapti and Narayani, but this year five roosters were found in Rapti and three in Narayani.
Although not one rooster was found this year, the overall number has increased . Information officer Thapamgar said that 41 crocodiles were released in Rapti before the count. The park released 20 more crocodiles in Rapti last month. In the last fiscal year, 150 crocodiles were released in the natural habitat, and there is a plan to release 40 more crocodiles in the current year. Here, crocodile eggs are collected from the river bank and taken to the breeding center and released into the river after the baby grows up.
So far, 2 thousand 18 crocodiles have been released in various rivers of the country, including Rapti and Narayani. Currently, there are 739 crocodiles in the breeding center.
The ghidal crocodile is an endangered reptile. In the past, watches found in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and other countries are now only found in Nepal and India. In the 1940s, its number in the world is about 10,000. After it was found that only two percent of its number existed in 1970, conservationists say that the interest in conservation is increasing .
Ghadial Breeding Center was established in Kasara in 1975 after the establishment of Chitwan National Park. At that time, it was estimated that there were less than 100 clock crocodiles in the country. Information Officer Thapamgar said that the natural habitat of crocodiles is being damaged due to increasing human activity in the river, extraction of river products, pollution, fishing etc. Also, even when there is a flood, crocodiles are washed away.
