BETTIAH, June 7 -- The forest department in Bihar's West Champaran district on Saturday released 31 gharial hatchlings into Gandak river which harbours the country's second-largest population of the species after Chambal river, officials said, highlighting a boost to their conservation efforts. Valmiki Tiger Reserve's (VTR) field director Gaurav Ojha said that this year, 31 gharial hatchlings were released in Gandak near Ratwal under Nadi police station area in Bagaha police district ahead of World Crocodile Day on June 17. "The release of these hatchlings is part of our ongoing efforts to revive and strengthen the gharial population in the Gandak river. We are committed to taking further measures to bolster gharial conservation in the region," the field director said. Ghariyal is one of the three main kinds of crocodile species found in India, with the other two being salt water crocodile or salties and mugger crocodiles. Officials said 217 gharials of all sizes were found in a survey conducted along the 284-km stretch of the Gandak river between the Gandak barrage and Rewaghat in February 2023, which rose to 372 in 2024. Around 175 hatchlings were also released in the river last year. Since 2018, gharial nesting has been consistently observed in Gandak river in every nesting year and the river has become important for the survival of gharial population. The gharial population in Gandak river was a meagre 30 in 2014, officials said. Dr Shailendra Singh, member of IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group in UP's Lucknow expressed his satisfaction over the progress made after India began its Crocodile Conservation programme in 1975. "As per the last available IUCN status assessment in 2017, adult ghariyal population ranges from 900 to 1000 in India and over 600 in National Chambal Sanctuary," he said. Also known as the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, the 5,400 sq km tri-state protected area is the country's most important habitat for the gharial. "Among South Asian countries, India ranks first in gharial conservation, followed by Nepal, while the species has nearly become extinct in Pakistan," Singh added....