Press Release Issued from India International
Centre on 4 January 2008
BACK
'Chambal Gharial in Crisis' by Rajesh and Naresh Bedi
The Bedi Brothers–Naresh and Rajesh, are the pioneers of wildlife photography and film making in India. For the last thirty-eight years, they have travelled to the remotest corners of India to produce films, showcasing the splendours of India’s wilderness. They have produced over 25 hours of high-end documentaries with an aim to sensitize and foster awareness among the masses for conserving our rich wild heritage.
Their first wildlife film was way back in the early eighties when they took up a challenge to produce the world’s first natural history film about the shy, fish eating, endangered Gharials. It took them five long years to record various unknown behaviour as the animal had been little studied. They made several trips to Chambal risking their lives and equipment in the years when the area was terrorized by the bandit group of Phoolan Devi.
The one hour film was shown the world over by leading broadcasters at prime time and won several awards including the Green Oscar at the prestigious Wildscreen, the largest International Film Festival, held in the UK, in 1984. Bedi Brothers were so awed by the beauty of this uniquely Indian animal that they adapted it as their icon.
- The gharial is found only in the rivers of India and Nepal. It is the only surviving species of an ancient lineage of reptiles dating back to the age of dinosaurs, a species old enough to be considered a living fossil. The animal grows to a massive length of 7 metres and the males carry a structure called the ghara, which is morphologically unique among the crocodilians. Probably because of these very special attributes it is the designated vahana of Goddess Ganga, an abiding icon of the socio-religious fabric of our country. The gharial was brought back from the edge of extinction in the late 1970s when its global population had fallen to less than 200 individuals from over 5000-10000 in 1940s, a decline of about 96%-98%. Efforts spanning 3 decades managed to increase this to about 1400 individuals by 1997 after which, a reversal occurred mostly because of a fall in the integrity of the gharial's most important refuge, the tri-state National Chambal Sanctuary that holds by far the largest breeding sub-population. The adult population dwindled from 436 in 1997 to 182 in 2007, forcing IUCN to upgrade the gharial's status from endangered to critically endangered.
- Although the gharials are protected by law, the illegal poaching, illicit fishing, sand mining, diversion of river, construction of dams and canals are some of the factors that have attributed to the drastic decline of the gharial population. The decline is so alarming that the species seem to be sliding into near extinction. To make matters worse, from December 2007 a disease has struck the core gharial habitat of the Chambal sanctuary wiping out to date, 63 or more than 50 % of this area's adult and semi-adult population, an unprecedented event in our documented knowledge of this animal. As it an area with very minimal human infiltration, this horrendous development comes across as a shocking revelation. A month has passed since the beginning of this catastrophic epidemic, during which time mortalities have continued without any signs of abatement. The population has crashed to such a level that it may never fully recover. It is indeed heart wrenching to witness the gharials fighting a losing battle for their survival.
- We need to understand that the threat posed by this unknown disease is so perilous that it could critically affect our ecosystem. Thus, if we are really serious about conservation then this is the time to act. It is important to address this debacle as a National Crisis and have it given top priority. The effort by Indian veterinarians, investigation agencies and forest departments so far have not been able find any conclusive clues to prevent the recurrence of slow deaths.
- Unfortunately in India we don't have vets or organizations which specialize in diseases affecting the wild animals. All the more, no one has experience of such a large scale of epidemic in crocodilians. Therefore, international intervention of experts could also be explored to find possible solutions before itÍs too late. India happens to be the custodian of this global heritage and it would be a matter of great shame if they are allowed to disappear without due fight. It is imperative that we do not lose any more time by indulging in futile debate or mudslinging. Rather a combined effort of experts, vets, different states and even the common man needs to be necessitated to accord this issue the rightful priority it deserves. All the sections should work in concurrence to find a concrete solution not only in identifying the cause of deaths but also in developing a long term strategy for conservation of the remaining population.
© Bedi Films E 19, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi 110027, India. Tel. 011-2544 1864, 25439939 Fax: 011-2543 0850 E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Web: www.bedibrothers.com