Morena (Madhya Pradesh): Around 70 gharial hatchlings were born from eggs kept at the Deori Gharial Hatchery Centre in Madhya Pradesh’s Chambal Sanctuary, officials said on Sunday.
The hatchlings emerged from 70 out of 200 eggs collected by the forest department from the Chambal river region earlier this month.
According to forest officials, all the newborn hatchlings are currently safe and healthy. They also said more hatchlings are expected to emerge from the remaining eggs in the coming days.
As part of the annual conservation programme, the forest department had collected 200 gharial eggs - 100 each from Baroli Ghat and ‘Babu Singh Ka Gher’ Ghat in the Chambal river area - and placed them safely in the artificial hatchery at Deori for incubation.
Gharial and aquatic wildlife expert and forest ranger Jyoti Dandotiya said the hatchlings came out earlier than the expected time.
She said the eggs collected from Baroli Ghat usually hatch first because the area is located upstream in the Chambal river.
Experts explained that while collecting the eggs from riverbanks, the natural temperature of the nesting site is carefully recorded.
The same temperature is then maintained at the artificial hatchery to provide conditions similar to the natural river environment.
Officials said the hatchery temperature is generally maintained between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius to ensure the safe development of the eggs.
The Chambal Sanctuary is known for having one of the world’s largest populations of gharials, a critically endangered crocodilian species found mainly in Indian rivers.
