Latest news with #SudhakarKar
Time of India
17-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Odisha gears up to mark 50 years of crocodile conservation
Kendrapada: The state forest department will mark 50 years of its crocodile conservation project with a week-long celebration starting June 17, on the occasion of . Principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) Prem Sankar Jha said the event will include seminars, workshops, photo exhibitions and competitions to showcase Odisha's achievements in crocodile conservation since 1975. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Launched in collaboration with UNDP/FAO and the Union govt, the project has been a pioneering initiative. Odisha is the only Indian state to host all three crocodile species — gharial, mugger and saltwater crocodile. One of the most notable successes has been at , where saltwater crocodile population has risen from just 95 in 1975 to over 1,800 in 2025. Dr Sudhakar Kar, a noted crocodile expert who helped start the programme with Australian herpetologist HR Bustard, said, "The conservation of crocodiles is not a passing fad, but a mission." The programme initially focused on collecting eggs during the monsoon and raising hatchlings in protected facilities at Dangmal. However, the success has brought new challenges. "We're now concerned about in Bhitarkanika," Dr Kar said. Barricades have been set up at river ghats in Bhitarkanika and locals are regularly warned about entering water bodies. Forest officials have now scaled back egg collection and release programmes as saltwater crocodile population has reached saturation point, focusing instead on research and management of human-wildlife conflict.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Croc found dead in Bhitarkanika
Kendrapada : A four-year-old male saltwater crocodile was found dead in the Kochia river near Silapokhari village within Bhitarkanika National Park on Tuesday marking the 14th unnatural crocodile death in the past five carcass measuring 4-ft and eight inches was spotted by locals who alerted forest authorities. "We have sent the carcass for autopsy to determine the exact cause of death," said Manas Kumar Das , assistant conservator of forest ( ACF ), incident follows discovery of a female saltwater crocodile's carcass in the Brahmani river on Nov 1, 2024 highlighting a disturbing trend in the protected area. "Unnatural deaths of adult crocodiles in Bhitarkanika are alarming," said Sudhakar Kar, noted herpetologist and former wildlife researcher. He said saltwater crocodiles are protected under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, to Hemant Rout, secretary of Gahirmatha Marine Turtles and Mangrove Conservation Society (GMTMCS), illegal fishing remains a major threat to the crocodile population. "Despite fishing being banned in Bhitarkanika's water bodies, unauthorised activities continue unabated, leading to more crocodile casualties," Rout park, established as a crocodile breeding center in 1975 through a UNDP collaboration, is home to 1,825 saltwater crocodiles as per the January 2025 census. However, with 36 crocodile deaths recorded in the past 13 years, conservationists are increasingly concerned about the effectiveness of protection latest death has exposed significant gaps in the park's conservation efforts, prompting calls for stricter enforcement of fishing regulations and enhanced protection measures for these endangered reptiles.
