Bardia National Park in Nepal isn’t too far off the beaten path – tourists do find their way there and support several lodges and hotels. Bardia is, however, far quieter and wilder than the more popular lowland rainforest destination of Chitwan National Park – a shorter trip from Kathmandu. I myself visited Bardia on the recommendation of Ashish Bashyal, a conservation biologist and president of Biodiversity Conservancy Nepal, an NGO dedicated to gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) and other wildlife conservation.
The gharial is a strange creature, a crocodilian with an extremely long thin snout designed for eating almost nothing but fish. Gharials are the most aquatic of crocodilians as well as the largest, unable to move across land when their riverine habitats are destroyed or threatened. Unfortunately, much of the gharial habitat has been destroyed, and the rare crocodilian along with it. Since the 1940’s it’s estimated the gharial has lost 98% of its population.
Image by Zach Fitzner: Gharial basks in shallow water next to a log at the edge of Bardia National Park
Bardia is one of only two places to find gharials in Nepal, most of the species remains in India. Bardia itself also protects a rebounding tiger population as well as a habitat for monkeys, rhinoceros, elephants, mugger crocodiles, birds, reptiles, and much more. When I visited, I saw all of these creatures, with the sight of needle-nosed gharials shiny in the sun on sand bars a special treat. Since I left I’ve stayed in contact with Ashish Bashyal and his research on gharials.
With the gharials being critically endangered Ashish Bashyal is concerned with questions of how best to protect and hopefully grow their population in Bardia National Park before it’s too late. Published just this year in the journal Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, Bashyal summarized years of research and recommendations for the future of gharials in Bardia National Park. The research surveyed river systems inside Bardia as well as just outside of the park, showing some signs of a bit of hope. Within Bardia, gharial populations inched up from 18 animals in 2017 to 19 just two years later.
Outside the park, is a different matter. Boulder quarries, sand mines, and illegal fishing keep gharials from establishing a foothold outside of the boundaries of protected areas. Protecting larger parts of the Babai River, so that hopefully the animals can move beyond a barrage in place there is one way to grow this population. Bashyal and his colleagues also recommend releasing more captive-bred animals and more research to gain a greater understanding of young gharials in particular.
Hopefully, in the future, Bardia will become one of the world’s best places to see gharials, just as it is already becoming a top destination for tourists to see tigers. You can learn more about Gharials by visiting their profile right here on CritterFacts!
