Chitwan: Despite releasing more than 2,300 gharial crocodiles into Nepal’s river systems over the past 45 years, conservationists say the species continues to face significant challenges in the wild.

According to the Gharial Crocodile Breeding Centre in Chitwan National Park, a total of 2,315 gharials have been released into various rivers since the programme began, with the highest number1,560 released into the Rapti River alone.

In the current fiscal year, the centre released 225 gharials including 14 males and 211 females into rivers across the country. Additional releases have been carried out in the Narayani, Saptakoshi and Karnali rivers.

However, officials say the wild population has not increased proportionately. A survey conducted last year recorded only 366 gharials in the Rapti and Narayani rivers combined.

The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), one of the world’s most endangered crocodilian species has experienced a dramatic population decline over the decades.

Globally, its numbers dropped from an estimated 10,000 in the 1940s to just two percent of that population by 1970.

The alarming decline prompted conservation efforts in Nepal, leading to the establishment of the breeding centre in 1975 when fewer than 100 gharials remained in the country.

Conservation experts attribute the species’ slow recovery to habitat degradation caused by human activities, river pollution, sand and gravel extraction, and other pressures affecting river ecosystems.

The breeding centre currently houses around 500 gharials and continues to support the species’ recovery through captive breeding and release programmes.

This year’s breeding season has also produced a new batch of hatchlings, providing fresh hope for the long-term survival of the endangered reptile.