NEW IND PRESS (Chennai, India) 28 September 06 15 gharials set to be released into wild
Bhubaneswar: The Nandankanan Biological Park is ready to shed some flab. And it’s the fresh-water crocodiles, which the animal park wants to get rid of.
Finding it hard to manage its 56 gharials, in an enclosure of 71x51 metre in the biological park, the zoo has formally made the move to shift a sizeable chunk to suitable habitats. After four years, Nandankanan will release the crocodiles into the wild.
It was the death of two adult gharials in their breeding pool last week that prompted the Wildlife Wing swing into this action.
The proposal, submitted by the zoo, has formally been accepted while the dates are to be finalised. In the first phase, 15 gharials will be released at both Satkosia and Hadgarh and divisional forest officers (DFOs) concerned have already been intimated.
“We have already identified the sites in Satkosia and Hadgarh both of which are sanctuaries,” Chief Wildlife Warden S C Mohanty told this paper on Wednesday.
The shifting would be carried out on a trial basis and in phases in view of the vulnerability of these sensitive fresh-water reptiles. Since gharials are strictly fish-eaters and prefer deep and stable water, it will be a challenging task for the Department so far as their relocation is concerned.
“The decision to shift the crocodiles to sanctuary sites is a conscious one since increased fishing activities have proved detrimental to them,” the Chief Wildlife Warden said.
That is not all. The zoo also plans to part with another five crocodiles and give them to a zoo in Andhra Pradesh. The Andhra Pradesh Government had proposed an exchange programme between the Tirupati Zoo and Nandankanan.
In exchange of gharials, the former will give rare Himalayan pheasants, Mohanty informed. Going by reliable sources, Nandankanan wants just 10 gharials for itself.
Meanwhile, the zoo has got a prized addition to its fauna in the form of a king cobra. Measured at over 7 ft, the majestic reptile was rescued by members of Snake Helpline and Forest Department officials on Monday night and handed over to the zoo.
“It has added to the zoo’s species base. Moreover, Nandankanan did not have a king cobra at present,” said Director A K Patnaik.
15 gharials set to be released into wild