GPS-tagged dead gharial recovered in Odisha
SAMBALPUR: Residents got a rude shock after the carcass of a gharial with a GPS tracking device attached to the tail was found near Marwaripara ghat of Mahanadi river on Monday. The 8-ft-long gharial was first spotted by a group of local fishermen who had gone to the river for fishing. Finding the reptile dead, they brought it to the ghat and informed forest officials who rushed to spot and seized the carcass for autopsy.
Divisional forest officer (DFO), Sambalpur V Neelannavar said on receiving information about the recovery of a dead gharial, forest personnel reached the spot for investigation. As gharial population is on decline, a species recovery programme is currently underway. “As part of the programme, the tracker was mounted on the gharial to monitor its movement and whereabouts. Recently, a gharial had gone missing after the floods. We will verify whether it is the same gharial.”
The DFO further said, “We are assuming that the gharial might have come from Satkosia. We are in touch with the Deputy Director of Nandankanan Zoological Park. The gender, age and exact cause of death of the reptile can be ascertained after the autopsy report arrives. We have registered a case of unnatural death in this connection and further investigation is underway.”Following the flood, the gharial was untraceable. But after recovery of the carcass, it was found that the GPS device fixed to it was still functional.
Meanwhile, the incident has triggered panic among local residents who regularly visit the ghat for bathing and washing purposes. A resident said, “People are afraid to use the ghat after seeing the gharial. Who knows how many crocodiles are in the water?”The DFO, however, said there is no need to panic. “There is no information about the presence of any other gharial in the river,” he added.