Crocodiles are large semi aquatic reptiles found in the tropics of Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Australia. According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, there are 23 known crocodile species, with 7 listed as Critically Endangered, 4 as Vulnerable, and 12 as Least Risk. The Indian Crocodile Conservation Project has brought once-threatened crocodilians back from the brink of extinction and put them on the road to recovery. The Project has not only produced a large number of crocodiles, but it has also contributed to conservation in a variety of related fields. This scheme focuses on the gharial, saltwater crocodile, and mugger. In this article, we will discuss the Indian Crocodile Conservation Project which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

What is the Indian Crocodile Conservation Project?

• The Crocodile Conservation Project was established in various states in 1975.
• The Gharial and Saltwater Crocodile Conservation Program was launched in Odisha in early 1975, followed by the Mugger Conservation Program.
• As a result of the programme, the estimated number of saltwater crocodiles in India increased from 96 in 1976 to 1,640 in 2012.
• The project received funding and technical assistance from UNDP/FAO via the Government of India.
• The Crocodile Project began with the goal of increasing the population to the point where sightings of 5 to 6 crocodiles per kilometre length of water were possible.
• Through rear and release operations, the Project attempted to compensate for natural losses caused by death and predation.
• This included collecting eggs from nests as soon as they were laid, incubating and hatching the eggs in hatcheries under temperature and humidity control, rearing the young juveniles, marking and releasing the young crocodiles into Nature in protected areas, and assessing the degree of success in restocking any protected area with crocodiles released from hatcheries.
• To accomplish these goals, three separate research units for the Gharial, Salt Water Crocodile, and Mugger were established in Tikarpara, Dangmal, and Ramatirtha, respectively.
• Captive breeding plans for all three species were pursued at the Nandankanan Biological Park.
• Soon after the project began, it became clear that well-trained staff were required for a successful crocodile conservation programme. In 1980, a Crocodile Breeding and Management Training Institute was founded in Hyderabad.

Indian Crocodile Conservation Project - Objectives

• Creating sanctuaries to protect the remaining crocodilians in their natural habitat.
• To quickly rebuild natural populations, more than 7000 crocodiles have been restocked, including 4000 gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), 1800 mugger (Crocodylus palustris), and 1500 saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus)
• To promote captive breeding.
• To conduct research to improve management.
• To increase the number of trained personnel on project sites through the (then) Central Crocodile Breeding and Management Training Institute in Hyderabad.
• Involve the community in the project on a personal level.

Crocodile Species Found in India

Mugger

• Mugger or Marsh crocodiles are restricted to the Indian subcontinent and are typically found in freshwater habitats such as lakes, marshes, and rivers.
• They can also be found in coastal saltwater lagoons and estuaries.
• When the temperature drops below 5°C, both young and adult mugger crocodiles dig burrows.
• Mugger crocodile hatchlings are pale olive with black spots, whereas adults are dark olive to grey or brown.
• They are an egg-laying, hole-nesting species.
• It feeds on fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
• The main cause of their vulnerability is habitat destruction, fragmentation, and transformation, as well as fishing activities and the use of crocodile parts for medicinal purposes.
• In Myanmar and Bhutan, this crocodile species is already extinct.
• Their current status can be found in the table below:

Saltwater Crocodile

• The saltwater crocodile, also known as a maneater, is thought to be the largest crocodile species on Earth.
• They are also known as estuarine crocodiles.
• It is found in Odisha's Bhitarkanika National Park, West Bengal's Sundarbans, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. They can also be found in Southeast Asia and northern Australia.
• It is capable of dominating almost any animal that enters its territory, ambushes most of its prey, and then drowns or swallows it whole.
• Its reputation as a man-eater is one of the main reasons for its hunting and a threat to its survival. It is also hunted for its skin, and habitat loss is a major factor in its declining population.
• Its current global status is as under:

Gharial

• The gharial, also known as the gavial, is the longest living crocodile.
• They are called gharial because of their long and thin snouts that resemble an earthen pot (known as "Ghara" in Hindi).
• It currently lives in rivers in the northern plains of the Indian subcontinent.
• The Chambal river on the northern slopes of the Vindhya mountains is known as the primary habitat of gharials.
• The gharial population is estimated to have declined from 5,000-10,000 in 1946 to less than 250 in 2006.
• The main causes of this decline are illegal sand mining, poaching, habitat destruction, floods, and large-scale fishing operations.
• Its current status is as under:

Indian Crocodile Conservation Project - Achievements

• All three crocodile species have been saved from extinction, and many of their habitats have been added to the state's protected area network.
• The crocodile project, which has long slowed in the state, has made significant contributions to the development of knowledge and the spread of awareness.
• Crocodiles' future can be secured by adequately protecting their habitats.
• Aside from producing a large number of crocodiles in a short period of time, the Crocodile Project has made numerous contributions to the overall approach to wildlife conservation, research, and training.
• Locals have been intimately involved in crocodile management.
• Full-time research personnel have been hired for the wildlife wing to conduct crocodile and other wildlife research.
• Crocodiles have been used as the flagship species in some important wetland sanctuaries.
• Other wetland species were actively managed alongside the crocodilians. Mangrove plants, marine turtles, freshwater turtles, monitor lizards, Gangetic dolphins, otters, and other reptilian fauna were among them.
• Along with the crocodile project, an intimate international collaboration in wildlife conservation, education, and training began.

Crocodile Census in India

• The crocodile census was held in January 2020 in Odisha's Bhitarkanika National Park and its surrounding areas in the Kendrapara district.
• Officials formed 22 teams to count the crocodiles in all of the creeks and rivers within the park and its surrounding areas, and 1,757 crocodiles were discovered. This was slightly more than last year's total of 1,742 crocodiles.
• During the census, 620 hatchlings, 325 yearlings, 288 juveniles, 185 sub-adults, and 339 adult crocodiles were discovered.
• The enumerators also saw 12 albino crocodiles and four giant crocodiles over 20 feet long in the water bodies.

Crocodile Conservation Programmes in India

Baula Project in Dangamal

• The Oriya word for saltwater crocodile is 'Baula.'
• Salt-water crocodile eggs have been collected locally at Dangmal in Bhitarkanika sanctuary, and young crocodiles have been released in creeks and estuaries, with over 2200 crocodiles released in phases since 1977.
• This operation was relatively successful, and the crocodile population in the Bhitarkanika river system gradually increased.
• More than 50 released female Saltwater Crocodiles have successfully breaded and are laying eggs in the wild.

Mugger Project At Ramatirtha

• The Ramatirtha centre for Mugger crocodiles began with Mugger eggs and juveniles obtained from Tamilnadu.
• Since 1984, Muggers have been bred and young ones released into the wild in Similipal, and more than 600 crocodiles have been released in the area.
• A census was carried out to determine the population status of Mugger crocodiles in the major rivers/waterbodies within the Similipal.

Gharial Project at Tikarpada

• Gharial eggs were collected at Tikarpara at various times from Nepal's Narayani and Kali rivers, as well as the Chambal sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The eggs taken from Mahanadi were infertile.
• Gharial hatchlings were obtained from eggs incubated in Nepal's Royal Chitwan National Park and Uttar Pradesh's Katarniyaghat sanctuary.
• More than 700 Gharials raised at Tikarpara and those produced through captive breeding at Nandankanan Zoo were released in the Mahanadi River between Boudh and Katrang.
• One assessment of the rear and release operation in respect of Gharials was made between December 1987 and January 1988, when only 25 Gharials were discovered to be surviving in the entire stretch of the river Mahanadi and down stream of Hirakud Reservoir over a 400-kilometer stretch.
• One male and two female Gharials were sighted and counted in and outside of the sanctuary during the January 2003 census. A study was conducted to determine the causes of the Gharial's poor survival in Mahanadi.
• It is critical to reduce fishing and navigation on certain stretches of the river in order to increase the Gharial population to more viable levels.
• It has been proposed to rehabilitate Gharials in the Mahanadi upstream of the Hirakud reservoir, as well as some stretches of the river Brahmani.
• A census conducted in winter 2004 in the Mahanadi river system within the boundaries of the Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary revealed the survival of only one male Gharial (3-3.5m length).
• This Gharial was located on the Mahanadi / SatkosiaGorge river between Binikei and Majhipada.

Crocodile Captive Breeding in Nandankanan, Odisha

• At Nandankanan Zoo, captive breeding units for all three crocodilian species have been established.
• Muggers that were bred at Nandankanan Zoo were also released in Satkosia Gorge.
• Although Gharials have failed to establish themselves in Satkosia Gorge, Muggers have established themselves well in this stretch of the Mahanadi River.
• According to a survey conducted between January and March 2004, there are 64 Muggers in the Mahanadi system and 83 Muggers in the rivers of Similipal.

IUCN-SSC Crocodile Specialist Group

• The IUCN SSC Crocodile Specialist Group (CSG) is a global network of biologists, wildlife managers, government officials, independent researchers, non-government (NGO) representatives, farmers, traders, tanners, fashion leaders, and private companies dedicated to the conservation of the world's 23 living species of alligators, crocodiles, caimans, and gharials.
• It was founded in 1971, and its main mission is to assist the IUCN and the Species Survival Commission (SSC) in the conservation, management, and sustainability of crocodiles worldwide.

World Crocodile Day

• Every year on June 17th, World Crocodile Day is observed.
• It is a worldwide awareness campaign to raise awareness about the plight of endangered crocodiles and alligators.
• The Crocodile Conservation Project was launched in 1975 in various Indian states to conserve crocodiles.
• The authorities in charge should conduct public awareness campaigns to highlight the plight of endangered crocodiles.

Conclusion

Crocodilians were threatened in India due to indiscriminate killing for commercial purposes and severe habitat loss until the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972. The overall strategy for crocodile rehabilitation was to protect them in their natural habitats, rebuild the population quickly through captive breeding (rear and release), and train personnel for the job. To determine the exact number of crocodiles across the country, future censuses must incorporate cutting-edge technology.