Bhubaneswar: On Wednesday, seven adult gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) were released on Wednesday in the Mahanadi River Canyon in Satkosia, Odisha, on Satkosia, a government official said Thursday. The release is part of the state’s ongoing Gharial Recovery Program, held at Sunakhani Ghat in the presence of the forest chief conservationist (wildlife).
Of the seven reptiles, five were transferred from the South Carman Zoo in Bhubaneswar, while two were from the Gharial Research and Conservation Unit (GRACU) in Satkosia. The group consists of five women and two men.
According to Chief Wildlife Warden Prem Kumar Jha, the initiative is the department’s continued efforts to reintroduce and monitor Gharials in the 21km of the Mahanadi Canyon within the Satkosia Tiger Reserve. Future plans include posting more radio tags for individuals, enabling conservationists to track their movements and study their adaptation to the natural environment.
Between 2019 and 2022, five phases were released into the wild, with the latest release happening in February 2022.
Satkosia remains the only natural breeding habitat in Odisha. A 2023 survey documented seven natural breeding and four radio investigators in the area. As of 2024, the population in the canyon has grown to 16, reflecting a gradual but encouraging rise.
Officials stressed that the ongoing release, coupled with radio telemetry and habitat protection, is crucial to ensuring the species’ future in the wild.
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