Overview
- Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted photographs on social media Tuesday confirming a juvenile gharial in the Kekaidong River in West Karbi Anglong.
- Forest officials say this sighting follows a gharial seen in Kaziranga’s Burapahar range less than two months earlier and that there have been two to three sightings this tourist season.
- The gharial is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN and is protected under Schedule I of India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- Officials and wildlife experts link the sightings to recent state efforts such as river rejuvenation, habitat restoration and anti-poaching drives, and say a juvenile may indicate local breeding but requires long-term monitoring to confirm recovery.
- The confirmed sightings boost public interest and tourism in protected areas while prompting calls for sustained protection of rivers, stricter controls on sand mining and continued community-based monitoring to translate short-term signs into lasting population gains.