Gharial - katerniaghat

[Kaustuv Chatterjee]

Shot in its nesting site on the islands in the Girwa river, Katerniaghat, here one can unfortunately observe the remnants of a entangled fishing net in the snout of this fine specimen. Fishing is banned in this core area of Katerniaghat national park....

[Mrudul Godbole]

The snout is well documented. Fishing in restricted areas is a common problem. The entangled net can be seen. Was it able to open the snout, or was it completely tied? Thanks for sharing.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Tough situation. They can get caught in the net and die due to asphyxiation. Law and order is a big issue everywhere in this country. Unless the rules are strictly implemented, we are heading towards anarchy.

[Roopak Gangadharan]

Kaustav, Good documentation of what seems to be a common problem as far as aquatic animals are concerned, fish, turtles, rays, sharks, crocs and the list goes on..... abandoned fishing nets also called ghost nets are the primary culprits. Glad to know atleast in this case it has not been fatal... but the effects can be disastrous in the long run...

TFS
Roopak

[Kaustuv Chatterjee]

Hi Mrudul, it was able to open its snout fortunately. However the goonda raj of UP was evident in our boat ride when the boat operator cautioned us against sharing this photo with anyone. I have talked to some media people to investigate the many irregularities and illegalities I saw while in Katerniaghat.

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

How nice it is that you have shown us this most unique crocodile, long-snouted Gharial (also Mugger earlier) in the same Girwa river.
The impressive big bulging eyes, long snout and other details nicely documented.
How comfortable is the small bird near its long narrow jaws with razor sharp teeth, knowing better than us (who could destroy bird nests to prevent a similar photograph) that this crocodile lives almost exclusively on fish.
Wish it will get rid of the remnants of the entangled net soon on its own.
Thanks for sharing.SaktiWild