In memory of late conservationist Ramprit Yadav, the Chitwan National Park (CNP) released 15 gharials into the Rapti river on Wednesday. The release was both a tribute to Yadav’s lifelong dedication to wildlife conservation and a continuation of the park’s ongoing efforts to revive the endangered species.

Yadav, a native of Siraha district, was among the first staff members of CNP and later served as its chief conservation officer. Even after retiring from government service, he stayed in Chitwan, actively engaging in awareness campaigns to protect forests and wildlife. He passed away on Saturday at the age of 83.

“Ramprit Yadav’s contribution to the establishment and growth of Chitwan National Park is unparalleled,” said Avinash Thapa Magar, the park’s information officer. “He was instrumental in founding the Gharial Breeding Centre in Kasara in 1978, and this year’s release event has been dedicated to his memory.”

Established under Yadav’s leadership, the Gharial Breeding Centre was Nepal’s first major effort to conserve one of the world’s most endangered crocodilian species. The gharial, which thrives only in clean rivers with sandy banks, is considered an indicator of a healthy aquatic ecosystem. However, habitat destruction, pollution, and depletion of fish stock have drastically reduced their population.

“Unlike tigers and rhinos, gharials are far more vulnerable because their nesting and hatching success rates in the wild are extremely low,” said Sujita Shrestha, chief of the breeding centre. “That’s why we raise them in controlled environments and release them once they mature.”

According to Shrestha, since the centre’s establishment, 2,105 gharials have been released into rivers and streams across Nepal, including the Rapti and Narayani. “Despite these efforts, the population remains small. Last winter’s survey counted 206 gharials in the Rapti and 146 in the Narayani—just 352 in total,” she said.

The event of releasing the gharials was attended by acting secretary of the Ministry of Forests Ram Chandra Kadel and Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Director-General Buddhi Sagar Paudel, who both praised Yadav’s pioneering legacy.

Yadav had joined Chitwan two years before the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1973, which established CNP as the country’s first national park. His decades-long service helped shape the foundation of Nepal’s conservation movement.