Crocodile extremely endangered reproduction after two years of pairing

The breeding effort of Rajshahi Zoo conservationists opens hopes of reviving crocodiles on the brink of extinction in Bangladesh.

With a dense network of rivers and rivers, Bangladesh used to be a major habitat for the Ganges crocodile , a special predatory reptile with a very long and slender muzzle. But today, they are "almost extinct" in this South Asian country when there are only a few individuals left to be kept at zoos.

The Ganges crocodile lives at Rajshahi zoo.(Photo: AFP).

The Ganges crocodile revival project has been underway since 2017 when Bangladesh conservationists decided to take a 41-year-old male named Gorai from Dhaka capital to a zoo in Rajshahi city, in the hope that it could mate with the 35-year-old crocodile named Padma here.

"When paired, there were concerns about the possibility of project failure because both crocodiles were old and may no longer desire mating. But after two years, they not only mate regularly. also start breeding, "said Sarowar Alam, project leader from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on October 27.

According to zoo manager Farhad Uddin, the first two eggs were found last week, but unfortunately, they were damaged by flooding."The good news is that Padma has started breeding. We will add some safer sandbars to continue spawning," Uddin said.

The long muzzle is used as a fishing tool.(Photo: Prague Zoo).

The Ganges crocodile population currently has less than 200, mainly living in rivers in India and Nepal. The critically endangered animal species in the IUCN Red List has completely disappeared from Pakistan and Bhutan. The future of the remaining individuals in Bangladesh will depend heavily on the success of the breeding program.