Chandigarh, July 31 -- An adult gharial from Punjab that strayed into Rajasthan's Indira Gandhi Canal has been rescued after nearly five months of coordinated monitoring and will now be rehabilitated before being released into the Beas River Conservation Reserve. The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), measuring more than 12 feet in length, was rescued on July 27 from the Mohangarh Minor of the Indira Gandhi Canal Project in Jaisalmer district during a joint operation by the forest departments of Rajasthan and Punjab. According to the Punjab chief wildlife warden, the reptile has been shifted to Mohali's Chhatbir Zoo for veterinary examination, rehabilitation and acclimatisation before release into the Beas River Conservation Reserve. The rescue effort began on March 14, when the chief wildlife warden of Rajasthan alerted his Punjab counterpart after the gharial had been spotted in the canal a day earlier. However, repeated attempts to rescue the animal over the following months had to be deferred as the canal was carrying high volumes of water for the Rabi irrigation season, making the operation unsafe. The breakthrough came on July 27 when the reptile was located in the Mohangarh Minor, where lower water levels and a slower current created favourable conditions for a safe rescue. It was subsequently shifted to Punjab in accordance with the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and International Union for Conservation of Nature guidelines for crocodilian handling.HTC...