Katarnia Gharial Conservation and Research Center

• 08 Nov 2022

Why in News?

• On November 7, 2022, Akashdeep Badhawan, DFO of Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh, said that a gharial conservation and research center will be set up in Katarniaghat Wildlife Division.

Key Points

• For this, a 10-member research and trainee team has reached Katarnia. Staying here for three months, the team will prepare a documentary film on gharials.
• A research paper will be prepared by researching the increase of gharial clans in the aquatic area and their living conditions. Based on this, the government will finalize the nature of the tourist destination and the plan up to the Gharial Research Center.
• The Katarniaghat wildlife division is attached to the Indo-Nepal border. In 551 sq km, the division is home to a variety of rare wildlife and birds including tigers, leopards, elephants, rhinos. The six-kilometer area of the Gerua river, which flows between Katarnia, is inhabited by gharial. From the very beginning Katarniaghat is known across the country for Gharial Conservation .
• Now preparations are being made to shine this identity on the national and international level. Under this, along with increasing the clans of gharials, plans are also being made to change the size of the gharial center.
• The 10-member team includes three researchers, six trainee researchers and a movie maker. This team will stay in Katarnia for three months and will work on research. Based on the research report, the nature of the center will be prepared.
• The film has been made at Katarniaghat, but preparations are being made to make a documentary film for the first time, especially on gharials. The film will also include research papers from Katarnia, so that students can easily get research material in future.
• There are 12 pools in Gerua. Three of these pools are inhabited by turtles, while one is occupied by crocodiles. At the same time, there is a family of gharials in six pools. With the rapid increase in their numbers, pools are getting smaller in size. Large alligators are four to five feet long. No more than six can stay in a pool.
• Trishala Ashok, a Bangalore-based expert in movie making associated with wildlife for decades, has also accompanied the team, the DFO said. College students will also be added to the research. It will increase the curiosity of students interested in movie making by sharing expert information.