BHUBANESWAR: Celebrating 50 years of ‘Project Crocodile’ in the state, the Odisha government on Tuesday announced to conduct a fresh survey to identity new potential habitats for gharial species of the reptile, population of which has been revived from the brink of extinction in the Mahanadi river system, after decades of struggle.
The report ‘Back from the brink - Conserving the Gharials of Mahanadi’, released by the Forest, Environment and Climate Change department on the day as part of the celebration, stated that the comprehensive survey is proposed to re-evaluate existing threats, assess changes in river physiography, and identify potential new habitats for gharials.
Study of wild gharials - both adults and hatchlings - is also necessary to monitor their breeding dynamics, courtship, nesting, hatchling behaviour, maternal guarding, and dispersal patterns, the report underlined. Genetic study is also crucial for long-term survival of gharials in the Mahanadi river, it added.
Forest and Environment minister Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia said, Odisha has successfully revived and sustained crocodile populations in the state over the last 50 years.
“Our state is home to all three species of Indian crocodiles - saltwater, mugger and gharial, and currently, we are focusing on maximising the population of the critically endangered gharial in the Mahanadi through a dedicated Species Recovery Programme,” he added.
The minister further stressed that the state government is also prioritising efforts to minimise human-wildlife conflict to ensure harmonious coexistence. Additional chief secretary, Forest, Satyabrata Sahu said crocodiles are indicator species of a healthy wetland ecosystem and the department is committed to their protection. “From near extinction in the 1970s, focused efforts through breeding, habitat restoration, and community involvement have revived crocodile populations in the protected areas of Bhitarkanika and Satkosia in the state,” he added.
PCCF (wildlife)-cum-chief wildlife warden Prem Kumar Jha said the population of saltwater crocodiles in Bhitarkanika National Park pegged at 1,826 in the 2025 census has recorded an increase over the previous year. In the last five breeding seasons from 2021 to 2025, around 160 gharial hatchlings have also hatched from the nesting site of Satkosia gorge in Mahanadi river system, he said.
Jha said to tackle conflicts, mitigation strategies are being adopted and ex gratia provided to individuals affected in crocodile-related incidents. The event also featured launch of a documentary and a brochure highlighting five decades of crocodile conservation in the state. Noted crocodile experts LAK Singh, Sudhakar Kar and Sudarshan Maharana were also felicitated.