A step closer towards better understanding of gharials
The Hindu
June 29, 2008
Staff Reporter
"Study will yield vital new information on their habitats "
NEW DELHI: "We could be closer than ever before in understanding the
real cause of the death of more than a hundred gharials at the
National Chambal Sanctuary since December 2007," said Gharial Crisis
Management Group chairman Ravi Singh here .
Participating in an Environment and Public Health Lecture Series
organised by Toxics Link and India International Centre, he added:
"Fundamental gaps in the knowledge of gharial biology were highlighted
in the course of investigation and we are hopeful that telemetry test
now under way on gharials will fill in gaps in our understanding of
this species." Mr. Singh said the study would yield vital new
information on gharials and their habitats including assessment of
health and status of population in the crisis zone.
More than 100 gharials have been lost in the National Chambal
Sanctuary since last December.
Team set up
A multi-disciplinary team under the chairmanship of Mr. Singh was set
up by the Union Environment and Forests Ministry to study the possible
causes of their death and suggest ways to prevent such incidents in
future.
"Death of any species in such large numbers is a clear indicator of
release of heavy toxic material into the gharial's natural habitat and
points to lax regulatory rules. Immediate action is required from the
Government to avoid such large-scale loss to our environment. Gharials
are threatened by shrinking prey-base, illegal sand mining, river-bed
cultivation, fishing and river pollution," said Toxics Link Associate
Director Satish Sinha.
Documentary screened
Also screened on the occasion was a documentary, "Gharial: On the
verge of extinction", by Lalit Shastri, Principal Correspondent of The
Hindu in Bhopal.
It is a telling commentary on the state of the gharials that are
threatened by human pressure and are today fighting a battle for
survival.
Major casualty
"The film documents the state of the gharial from the late 1980s to
the major casualty that occurred recently. A 400-km stretch of the
Chambal has been declared the national sanctuary. Today the gharial is
threatened like never before," added Mr. Shastri.
"Study will yield vital new information on their habitats "
NEW DELHI: "We could be closer than ever before in understanding the
real cause of the death of more than a hundred gharials at the
National Chambal Sanctuary since December 2007," said Gharial Crisis
Management Group chairman Ravi Singh here .
Participating in an Environment and Public Health Lecture Series
organised by Toxics Link and India International Centre, he added:
"Fundamental gaps in the knowledge of gharial biology were highlighted
in the course of investigation and we are hopeful that telemetry test
now under way on gharials will fill in gaps in our understanding of
this species." Mr. Singh said the study would yield vital new
information on gharials and their habitats including assessment of
health and status of population in the crisis zone.
More than 100 gharials have been lost in the National Chambal
Sanctuary since last December.
Team set up
A multi-disciplinary team under the chairmanship of Mr. Singh was set
up by the Union Environment and Forests Ministry to study the possible
causes of their death and suggest ways to prevent such incidents in
future.
"Death of any species in such large numbers is a clear indicator of
release of heavy toxic material into the gharial's natural habitat and
points to lax regulatory rules. Immediate action is required from the
Government to avoid such large-scale loss to our environment. Gharials
are threatened by shrinking prey-base, illegal sand mining, river-bed
cultivation, fishing and river pollution," said Toxics Link Associate
Director Satish Sinha.
Documentary screened
Also screened on the occasion was a documentary, "Gharial: On the
verge of extinction", by Lalit Shastri, Principal Correspondent of The
Hindu in Bhopal.
It is a telling commentary on the state of the gharials that are
threatened by human pressure and are today fighting a battle for
survival.
Major casualty
"The film documents the state of the gharial from the late 1980s to
the major casualty that occurred recently. A 400-km stretch of the
Chambal has been declared the national sanctuary. Today the gharial is
threatened like never before," added Mr. Shastri.
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