This story is from January 19, 2021

Crocodiles flourish in Gujarat's Charotar wetlands

If the prospect of spotting the large, ponderous, lizard-like amphibious reptile with carnivorous habits stirs the inner Steven Irwin in you, then head to the wetlands of Charotar this season. The lush green belt of Central Gujarat has been buzzing with ‘jaw-dropping’ crocodile activity proving it to be safest haven for reptile species in Gujarat.
Crocodiles flourish in Gujarat's Charotar wetlands
Crocodile activity in Charotar wetlands
VADODARA/ ANAND: If the prospect of spotting the large, ponderous, lizard-like amphibious reptile with carnivorous habits stirs the inner Steven Irwin in you, then head to the wetlands of Charotar this season. The lush green belt of Central Gujarat has been buzzing with ‘jaw-dropping’ crocodile activity proving it to be safest haven for reptile species in Gujarat.
Nearly 70 sq km here is a high density area, which includes villages like Deva, Heranj, Vaso, Petli and Malataj for the schedule 1 animal protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act.

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In fact, this year a record number of them have been sighted in lakes, ponds and water bodies of 25 villages of twin districts – Anand and Kheda. During a recent crocodile count carried out earlier this month by volunteers of Voluntary Nature Conservancy (VNC), wildlife enthusiasts made as many as 216 direct sightings which is almost 30 % rise and 52 more in absolute numbers compared to last year.
VNC, which has been carrying out annual Charotar Crocodile Count since 2013, carried out their eight crocodile census this year.
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“We had sighted 164 crocodiles last year which itself was maximum of all the counts. Of the 25 villages which were surveyed, major populations were sighted in Deva, Petli, Vaso, Heranj, Malataj and Traj villages. “In fact, our teams made the maximum sightings at Deva village with 88 sightings, followed by Heranj and Traj having 25 and 24 crocodile sightings, respectively,” said Anirudh Vasava, VNC’s research coordinator.

Vasava said that this reflects that people here see this species as co-inhabitant. “Residents here are not disturbing the mother crocodiles, there is enough food available for these crocodiles and so far, there is no illegal trade or disturbance to this species,” said Vasava.
This year, the sightings have significantly increased. This reinforces that the water bodies in Charotar region are providing a healthy breeding ground to the crocodiles and turning into a suitable habitat for them, he said.
The volunteers could record more crocodiles during the two days count because of climatic conditions as well. “The weather was cold and sky was clear making it favourable for more crocodiles to come out on the banks of the water bodies for basking,” the crocodile expert added.
Volunteers spotted 16 smaller than one metre crocodiles, 85 sized between 1 and 2 metre, 54 between 2 and 3 metre, and 29 were more than 3 metres long. However, 32 more crocodiles which were sighted during the count could not be measured accurately.
Every year, crocodile hunters converge at Charotar to count the jaws using the ‘citizen science’ approach. Till now, over 500 enthusiasts from nearly 19 states of the country, all from diverse backgrounds, have joined the annual event.
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About the Author
Prashant Rupera

Prashant Rupera is special correspondent at The Times of India, Vadodara and reports on politics, business, heritage, and education. He has been regularly reporting on the dairy sector in Gujarat which pioneered the White Revolution in the country. His interests include reading, watching movies and spending time with family and friends.

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