Gharial Conservation at the Bronx Zoo

BRONX, NEW YORK – April 5, 2017 – The WCS’s (Wildlife Conservation Society) Bronx Zoo recently added eight Indian gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) to the river habitat in JungleWorld, and they made their public debut just in time for Spring Break in New York City. This is the first time the Bronx Zoo has exhibited the species since 1992.

JungleWorld opened in 1985 and is one of the marquee exhibits at the Bronx Zoo. It is an award-winning indoor Asian rainforest that features several multi-species habitats that create a total immersion experience for guests.

Gharial are a slender-snouted crocodilian native to northern Indian subcontinent. They are classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Eighty percent of the remaining world population live in the Chambal River in India – the last stronghold for the species.

WCS has been supporting gharial conservation initiatives in India since the 1970s and continues to sponsor the Gharial Telemetry Project through the Gharial Conservation Alliance, which is managed by the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust Center for Herpetology (MCBT). Through protection and study of gharials in the Chambal Sanctuary, scientists now have a better understanding of how these evolutionarily unique crocodilians use their environment and the threats they face. Additionally, the project has identified key feeding, nesting and breeding areas for the species.

The eight gharials in JungleWorld were hatched at the MCBT and brought to the Bronx Zoo as part of the ongoing conservation partnership.