In a bid to promote eco-tourism across the state, the Punjab Government has embarked upon an ambitious programme for re-introduction of Gharial- the last surviving species of the family Gavialidae in the river Satluj-Beas System with Harike Wildlife Sanctuary as the starting point.Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal gave his nod to this project in the 4th meeting of State Board for Wildlife. This decision was a sequel to the marathon discussions held in the 1st meeting of State Board for Wildlife which recommended the introduction of this critically endangered species in River system of the State. On the basis of these recommendations, the Punjab Forests Department submitted a proposal to Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India in 2005.
After passing through different stages for scrutiny, Union Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change had finally accorded permission for re-introduction of Gharial in Harike Wildlife Sanctuary. The Government of India has asked the state government to conduct studies and also directed Chief Wildlife Warden, Punjab to seek the opinion of states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Based on the directives of GoI, WWF-India, which is the pioneer agency in Gharial Re-introduction programme, was asked to conduct Bio-monitoring of Beas River including Harike Wildlife Sanctuary.WF-India based at Harike initiated project the ‘River Watch’ and after conducting extensive survey for five years, came out with the recommendations that Harike Wildlife Sanctuary and its immediate catchment areas were the best sites for the release of Gharials. In the light of recommendations of WWF-India study, GoI was approached again which finally gave approval to the Punjab government under Section 12 of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 for re-introduction of Gharials in Harike Wildlife Sanctuary in September 2014.
According to Dhirendra Singh, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, the Forests & Wildlife department was all set to initiate the re-introduction of Gharial in the Harike Wildlife Sanctuary after the monsoon season was over. Initially as many as 10 Gharials would be released in the Harike Wildlife Sanctuary as a part of ‘Gharial Recovery Action Plan’ in the state during September this year. Under this plan, the department has envisaged to release nearly 100 Gharials during a span of two years, he added. It may be recalled that the Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), once found in the Indian Sub Continent, was now on the verge of extinction in these countries.
In India, only 200 breeding adults of Gharials are left in the wild. The Gharial is now enviably the most endangered large animals on the subcontinent. It has been listed in schedule I of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and listed as “Critically Endangered” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species in 2007. Historical records reveal that Gharial, one of the three crocodilian species found in India, was formally present in Indus River system including Beas and Satluj Rivers. It was an indicator of healthy river system. Old records including district Gazetteers mentioned presence of Gharial in abundance in the rivers Punjab. Last Gharial was shot in 1968 in Beas River. Gharial is a harmless animal and man-animal conflict was not an issue with this animal.Gharial may become a flagship species for Harike Wildlife Sanctuary and a successful re-introduction programme would surely boost the tourism prospects in the region and has ample potential to attract national and international tourists per year as in Gir or Kanha National Park.