The critically endangered fish-eating crocodile commonly known as Ghorial (Gavialis gangeticus) which once used to live mainly in the river Padma near Godagari upazila of Rajshahi has started to lay eggs in captivity at Rajshahi Zoo. With the successful hatching of the eggs, the ghorial population is expected to regenerate once again, hoped the officials of Rajshai zoo and the IUCN here in Rajshahi.
Though Ghorial looks like a crocodile for its physical feature, it lives on fish and it is distinctive from crocodile for its long body and the female bearing a snout on its nose.
The last free Ghorial was rescued from the river Padma near Godagari area on 28 May 2013. The rescued ghorial was 5 feet tall and 15 kilogramme in weight. Mollah Rezaul Karim, the then Head of Wildlife Management and Conservation of Forest department in Rajshahi with the help of local fishermen had rescued the ghorial and after giving it treatment, it was released in the river padma again.
No further trace of Ghorial in the river Padma was found since after the rescuse. Two Ghorials in captivity at Rajshahi zoo are named as Gorai, a 41-year old male and the Padma, 35-year aged female are learnt to mate recently. Earlier, the male ghorial was brought from Dhaka zoo in 2017 by exchanging one female ghorial from Rajshahi and was released in Rajshahi zoo pond.
Rajshahi Zoo Curator Farhad Uddin recently found two eggs of Ghorial last week inside the water tank where those ghorials live. But, both those eggs were found damaged and rotten.
It is learnt, the ghorial lay their eggs under sand beside the river where there is available sunshine. But, there was no sand beside the pond and area is surrounded by large trees which does not allow to penetrate sunlight in the pond. As a result, the eggs might be damaged and destroyed.
However, a female ghorial can lay more than 20-eggs which user the hope of finding more eggs of the captive ghorial. But, suitable place with sufficient sand with enough sunshine be ensured beside the pond so that the ghorial can lay eggs there and breed.
