According to a recent study, anthropogenic threats like illegal fishing and sand mining pose a threat to the mugger crocodiles (Crocodylus plaustris) of the Rapti River flowing along the Chitwan National Park.
About Mugger Crocodiles –
- The mugger or marsh crocodile is one of the 24 extant species of crocodilians found globally.
- It is native to freshwater and inhabits marshes, lakes, rivers and artificial ponds.
- The mugger is found in 15 Indian states, with the largest populations in the middle Ganges (Bihar-Jharkhand) and Chambal (Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan)
- They are found all over south Asia — India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh — as well as south-eastern Iran.
- Conservation status — IUCN Red List: Vulnerable — CITES Appendix I
About the Rapti River –
- The Rapti originates in the Mahabharat Hills and lower range of the Himalayas and flows westward along the northern border of the Chitwan National Park.
- It drains the Rapti zone in Mid-Western Region in Nepal and then the Awadh and Purvanchal regions of Uttar Pradesh state in India.
- It joins the river Ghaghara which is a major left-bank tributary of the Ganga.
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