Beez Neez now Chy Whella - BNP Croc Breeding

BNP Croc Breeding

Beez Neez now Chy Whella

Big Bear and Pepe Millard

Wed 18 Apr 2018 22:37

Bardia National Park Crocodile Breeding Centre

After looking around the tiny museum and the Information Centre we headed to the Crocodile Breeding Centre. Passing the guard hut, up some steps, through a gate and a troop of monkeys scuttle by on the wall. Sad, sad sight. The last monkey was carrying her baby, it had the remnants of a plastic mesh sack that was so tight around its waist it was not only cutting in but we could see pain in its eyes – it looked so old and miserable.

Down the steps and we were in a huge area with well laid put paths to follow, a pen ahead.

Oh, a turtle and a sign we would have no clue if we were here for years.

In the next pen were a few mean-looking mugger crocodiles, on The Red List as Vulnerable. These chaps are exceptionally good climbers, can cover substantial distances whilst finding suitable habitats and dig themselves hideouts if it gets too hot or cold. They spend most of their days lolling about in the water and are found in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Iran and probably Indo-China. The only crocodile to be found in Iran and Pakistan. The next pen had the very weird looking Gharial crocs. These Red List Critically Endangered chaps have been declining in numbers since the 1930’s and it is believed there are as few as two hundred and fifty of them left.

Nothing wrong with having a long nose..............

..........but knobs on the end ???

The Information Board read: Gharial or Long-Snouted Crocodile (Gavialis Gangeticus) counts amongst the largest crocodile species in the world. It is also one of the two surviving members of the Gavialidae family. Gharial crocodiles have an elongated and narrow snout, which becomes thinner with age. There is a bulbous growth at the tip of an adult male’s snout known as a ghara. The length of a gharial crocodile is somewhere around 5 to 7 metres. It has long and narrow jaws, which are razor-sharp. This species is included in the list of protected in Nepal, under the National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act in 19 and Appendix of the Cites and also listed in the IUCN Red Data Book.

Natural Habitat:- Gharial crocodiles inhabit the calmer areas of the deep, fast moving rivers. They do not move much on land and come outside water either to bask in the sun or to nest on the sandbanks of the rivers.

Geographical Range:- The geographical range of the gharial crocodile cover the countries of India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan. It used to inhabit Bhutan and Myanmar at one point of time but it is believed to have become almost extinct in these countries today. Gharial crocodile is mainly found in the river systems of Koshi, Narayani, Rapti, Karnali, Babai, Mahakali.

Diet:- Adult gharials survive on a diet mainly comprising of fish.

Mating Behaviour:- The mating season of the gharial crocodile stretches from November to January and the nesting takes place in the month of March to May. The clutch sizes range between 30 and 50 eggs, which are deposited by the female into a hole in the ground. The eggs hatch after a period of approximately 90 days.

Status:- The decade of the 1980’s saw the population of gharial crocodiles of Nepal declining at a fast pace, taking the reptile to the brink of extinction, however, conservation efforts of the Nepalese biologists and the Nepal Government have led to a drastic improvement in the situation. WWF Nepal and UNDP also providing support for its longer existence. Today, there are around four protected areas in Nepal for gharial crocodiles, amongst in Chitwan and Bardia National Park both captive breeding and releasing operations are carried out.