In February 2025, Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav released 10 gharials, a critically endangered species, into the Chambal River at the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary in Morena.
Madhya Pradesh's decades-long conservation efforts have earned it the title of a “gharial state,” as it hosts over 80% of India’s gharial population.
The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is a long-snouted, fish-eating crocodilian. In Indian mythology, gharials hold sacred significance and are often depicted as the divine mount of the goddess Ganga.
Historically, threats to gharials included overhunting for skins, trophies, eggs, and their use in traditional medicine. Modern challenges such as dam construction, irrigation canals, siltation, changes in river courses, embankments, sand mining, pollution, and fishing continue to devastate their populations.
Gill nets, in particular, pose a severe threat, killing gharials of all sizes, even in protected areas.
Between 1975 and 1982, India established 16 captive breeding and release centers, along with five dedicated gharial sanctuaries. Today, the species primarily survives in five key refuges: National Chambal Sanctuary (NCS), Katerniaghat Sanctuary, Chitwan National Park, Son River Sanctuary, and Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary.