The findings emerged during routine monitoring of gharials released under the Forest Department’s ‘Go and Release’ conservation programme. Officials said radio transmitters attached to gharials up to three years old, measuring around 120 cm in length, were found transmitting signals from inside adult crocodiles rather than from the river. Subsequent field verification, including the recovery of gharial remains from crocodile faeces, confirmed the predation.

This marks the first formally recorded instance of crocodiles hunting gharials in the 435-km-long Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, which stretches across Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The discovery has raised concern among wildlife managers, who are now reassessing conservation strategies in what was considered the species’ most secure habitat.

Experts say the threat comes at a critical stage in the gharial life cycle. Aquatic wildlife specialist Jyoti Prasad Dandotiya noted that gharial survival rates are already low due to natural factors. “Only about three percent of hatchlings survive the annual floods in the Chambal. Predation by crocodiles on juveniles up to three years old further reduces their chances of reaching adulthood,” he said, citing findings also reflected in studies by the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust.

The Chambal River was selected for gharial conservation in the late 1970s after global surveys led by British scientist H.R. Bustard identified it as one of the cleanest rivers with a suitable natural ecosystem. The Deori Gharial Sanctuary was established in 1978–79 near Morena, with American funding support, and later expanded into the present Chambal Gharial Sanctuary.

Since its establishment, conservation efforts have yielded significant gains. According to the 2025 census, the Chambal now supports 2,462 gharials, a sharp rise from the 75 individuals released during the sanctuary’s early years. By comparison, the Gandak River in Bihar and Nepal’s Kosi region each host around 400 gharials.

Under the current conservation model, about 200 eggs are collected annually from riverbanks during March and April and incubated at the Deori sanctuary. Hatchlings are raised in controlled conditions and released into the river once they reach three years of age or 120 cm in length.

Forest officials said they are now exploring measures to reduce juvenile gharial mortality, including reassessing release locations and studying predator–prey dynamics more closely. Protecting young gharials, they said, will be crucial to sustaining long-term population growth in the Chambal.