Uttar Pradesh forest officials investigate death of alligators Chambal River

Forest officials in Uttar Pradesh are investigating the cause of death of several Indian alligators (Gharials) even as more carcasses of endangered reptiles have surfaced in the River Chambal.

By Brajesh Kr.Sindh

Etawah (Uttar Pradesh), Dec.20 : Forest officials in Uttar Pradesh are investigating the cause of death of several Indian alligators (Gharials) even as more carcasses of endangered reptiles have surfaced in the River Chambal.

According to officials, at least two to three carcasses are being recovered daily from the Chambal River in Etawah's Chakar Nagar subdivision for last ten days following the first spotting of dead Gharials.

Forest officials, who are collecting water samples for analyses and conducting post-mortem, are yet to reach any conclusive explanation for the cause of death of the Gharials.

"It seems that it could be due to contamination because of which liver and intestine have been affected. The contamination is related to food. Alligators must have had contaminated food and their staple food is fish. As of now we have assumed this till we get the reports we are not in a position to confirm anything," said G. Sudhakhar, District Forest Officer, Chambal Sanctuary.

Poaching has been ruled out as the cause, as the carcasses of the animal were intact and no body parts or organs are missing.

The deaths came under scrutiny after a Non Government Organisation (NGO), the Society for Conservation of Nature, informed the Forest department that it had spotted two dead alligators near the river around ten days ago.

The death of two to three alligators almost daily is baffling the sanctuary officials.

"We are not able to find any reason behind these deaths. This is for the fist time that we have come across such an incident and before this we did not witness any incident of this kind...Daily we find two to three dead alligators. So far a total of 20 to 25 alligators have died," said Hafin Singh, a forest worker.

At least 15 dead alligators have also been found in the neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, where a search was launched after the news about the sudden deaths was made public.

Officials of the forest department in Agra released 40 alligators of an endangered species into River Chambal, their natural habitat on November 22 this year.

Presently, the main habitat for crocodiles and alligators are Rivers Chambal, Girwa, Rapti and Narayani.

The Indian alligator, Ghariyal (Gavialis Gangeticus) has been put on the red list of critically endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).

An alligator's lifespan is usually estimated in the range of 50 years or more.

ANI