By PTI | Posted 2 hoursKolkata: Gandak river in Bihar has established itself as the third breeding ground in the country for the critically-endangered gharials after the birth of 7-8 baby crocodiles near Valmiki Tiger Reserve on World Environment Day. "This is the first record of wild bred gharials in the river. Decades ago there used to be a good number of gharials but gradually the number depleted. Representational pictureAs part of a Gharial conservation programme of the Bihar forest department and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), a team of experts have been releasing captive-bred gharials in the wild and into river Gandak after which breeding in the wild began. Now breeding has once again begun," Samir Kumar Sinha, head of the Gharial conservation project told PTI from Patna.

Source: Mid-Day June 08, 2016 07:18 UTC