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A group of 105 Gharial crocodiles, native to Nepal and other nearby countries, were recently released into the Rapti river. These crocodiles were raised with care at a special center in Chitwan National Park. The goal is to help protect this species, which struggles to survive in the wild. The center's job is vital because Gharial crocodiles often have trouble surviving and growing on their own in nature.
The breeding center started its work back in 1978 and has been crucial in protecting these crocodiles. Over the years, it has released almost 2,000 crocodiles into different rivers across Nepal. Most of them, about 1,200, were set free into the Rapti River. Other rivers, like the Narayani, Babai, Saptakoshi, Kaligandaki, and Karnali, also got some crocodiles from the center.
Despite these efforts, the number of Gharial crocodiles isn't going up much. Conservationists think this is because of human activities like destroying their homes and polluting the rivers. Also, some crocodiles move into India, which makes it harder to protect them.
The Gharial crocodile is in big trouble and is considered critically endangered. This means it's at serious risk of disappearing forever. So, it's super important to keep working hard to protect them.
In short, while the breeding center and other efforts are helpful, there are still big challenges to saving the Gharial crocodile. It's going to take a lot of teamwork from lots of people to make sure these amazing creatures have a future in Nepal's rivers.
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