Archive · 20 Jun 2025
Environment Minister Releases Gharials to Aid Conservation in UP
Gharials are a type of crocodile facing extinction.
To help them, the Environment Minister released seven baby gharials into a river in Uttar Pradesh.
This is part of a plan to protect these animals and their home.
Gharials almost disappeared in the 1970s, but people tried to save them.
Now, they are in trouble again because of things like pollution.
Most of the world's gharials now live in a sanctuary that crosses three states.
This new release is another step in trying to keep these special reptiles safe.
Environment Minister released seven gharial hatchlings into Uttar Pradesh's Girwa River.
The release is part of a Gharial Conservation Project to revive the declining gharial population.
Gharials, a fish-eating crocodilian species, faced a drastic population decline in the early 1970s.
Conservation efforts, including breeding and release, previously helped revive the population.
Habitat loss, pollution, and riverine development threaten the gharial's survival.
- Who
- Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav
- What
- Release of seven gharial hatchlings into the Girwa River as part of a conservation effort.
- When
- Friday
- Where
- Girwa River, Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Why
- To revive the declining population of gharials and protect the aquatic ecosystem.
- Species
- Gharial
- Location of Release
- Girwa River
- Number Released
- 7
- Conservation Project Goal
- To protect the aquatic ecosystem and revive water bodies
- Primary Threat
- Human-induced factors like habitat loss and pollution
- Gharial population in Chambal Sanctuary
- Approximately 77% of the global population