A critically endangered gharial (crocodile) has been rescued from the Narayani River. The gharial, which was found in the Narayani River at Amaltarighat in Kawasoti, Nawalparasi (east of Bardaghat-Susta), was rescued with the active participation of the local Bote community.

Chitwan National Park Conservation Officer and Information Officer Avinash Thapa Magar informed that after four days of continuous efforts, the ready net was removed from the crocodile's mouth on Wednesday afternoon. 'With the help of local Gopal Bote, we were able to rescue the male crocodile after four days,' he said. 'A ready net was wrapped around its mouth, and the crocodile was released into the river after being cut.' Thapa Magar informed that the net left in the river while fishing may have wrapped around the crocodile's mouth. He thanked the Bote community involved in the rescue, saying that the rescued crocodile is in good health. He said that the crocodile rescued and released into Narayani on Wednesday is an adult male gharial.

With this, four gharial crocodiles have been rescued from the Narayani River this year. During the field census of Gharial crocodiles conducted last month, nine male Gharial crocodiles were found in the area, two in the Narayani River and seven in the Rapti. Similarly, 366 adult Gharial crocodiles have been counted in the park, including 135 in Narayani and 231 in Rapti. The park has been raising babies in the park's breeding center to increase the number of Gharial crocodiles in the natural environment and releasing them into the river. The park has been partnering with the local community to conserve wildlife, including the critically endangered Gharial. 'Making locals aware and participating in conservation has yielded positive results,' he said. 'Promoting conservation work with community participation has also helped in reducing human-wildlife conflict.'