Too many crocs, not enough space

The last survey put the wild population at 1,500 gharial, 1000 saltwater crocodiles and 3,000-5,000 muggers. In captivity, there are 450 gharials, 650 saltwater crocodiles and 12,000 muggers.

The problem is not just the increased numbers butalso their management. Breeding centres at Amravathi, Sathanur and Hoggenekkal, home to around 1,300 muggers, are filled to capacity. N Krishnakumar, conservator of forests northern Region and director of the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, rejects charges of oversight on part of the people managing the programme: quot;On the positive front, the surplus8217; is evidence of the fact that we have succeeded in our bid to conserve. And it is not as though we lacked foresight. The initial concern was conservation. We did not realise that the crocs would over-breed.quot; He lays the blame on the people who obstruct the release of the crocodiles into natural habitats.