Gharial, a critically endangered crocodile species, has been spotted near Devghat nearly after three decades, raising hopes among the locals and conservationists.

A gharial is now often sighted basking on the sandy banks of the Narayani river, rekindling memories among elderly residents who recall a time when the long-snouted reptile thrived in the Devghat area, confluence of Trishuli and Kaligandaki rivers and considered as a sacred place for Hindus. After the confluence, the river is called Narayani downstream.

According to the locals, the gharial has been seen for nearly a week on a sandbar on the Nawalparasi side of the river, a short distance downstream from Devghat. After the two rivers merge at Devghat, it becomes Narayani. “It has been about six or seven days since we started seeing gharial. It comes out to bask in the sun on the sandy mound,” said Hiralal Bote, a resident of Devghat.

The locals recall gharials were once common along the Narayani in the Devghat areas including Khaireni and Chharchhare. “We used to see 20 to 25 gharials at a time. But I haven’t seen one here in the past 30 or 35 years,” said 71-year-old Dal Bahadur Bote, who was born and raised in Devghat.

Gharials inhabit clean, fast-flowing rivers and feed exclusively on fish, making them key indicators of river health. However, increasing pollution, declining fish stocks and habitat disturbance continue to threaten the species.

“We used to drink water straight from this river. Now, forget drinking—even bathing makes your skin itch. Fish have sharply declined. How could a gharial survive in such conditions?” said Dal Bahadur.

Globally listed as critically endangered, the gharial’s survival in Nepal hinges largely on conservation efforts led by Chitwan National Park. The park set up a gharial breeding centre at Kasara in 1978, aiming to conserve the crocodile species by hatching its eggs and releasing them in the rivers when they grow up to two metres in length. Survival rates in the wild remain low. The centre has seen some success. There were just 80 gharials in the country before the breeding centre was established.

Sujita Shrestha, chief of the gharial breeding centre, said gharials have not been reported in the upper stretches of the Narayani for a long time. “If one has appeared in Devghat, it is unclear whether it came on its own or was released after rescue,” she said. “A forest official mentioned that a rescued gharial had been released, but we do not have confirmed information,” she added.

Officials at the Division Forest Office in Bharatpur, however, denied any recent gharial release in the area. “We are not aware of any immediate rescue or release there,” said Divisional Forest Officer Bishnu Prasad Acharya. “If it is an old case, we will need to check.”

Local people, however, believe the reptile arrived naturally in the Devghat area. “It has not been released here. It must have come by itself,” Hiralal insisted.

Chitwan National Park conducts gharial census every year in the Rapti and Narayani rivers through direct observation method. According to the latest census published in December last year, the park said a total of 366 gharials—231 in Rapti and 135 in Narayani—were recorded. Of these, only nine were adult males, underscoring a severe gender imbalance. In 2024, the combined figure stood at 352.

Female gharials typically dig nests in sandy banks in the months of March and April. Some conservationists and locals speculate that the newly sighted gharial in Devghat may be searching for a nesting site, as it has been moving up and down the sandbar.

Conservationists warn that sand and gravel extraction from riverbanks, along with fishing nets in which gharials often become entangled, continue to undermine recovery efforts. Although more than 2,275 gharials, according to Shrestha, have been released from the breeding centre over the decades, census data show that survival rates in the wild remain low.

Nepal is home to two crocodilian species—the gharial and the mugger crocodile. Unlike the more aggressive mugger, which tolerates murky waters and preys on larger animals, the gharial rarely strays far from deep river channels and sandy banks.

According to conservationists, gharials are found in some rivers of Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Pakistan with the Rapti and Narayani rivers being their major natural habitats. This species—the only surviving member of the Gavialidae family—is found in the Kaligandaki, Saptakoshi, Babai and Karnali rivers as well in small numbers.

Of late, human encroachment and fishing nets placed in rivers and streams have become a major threat to gharials in the Chitwan National Park, the country’s first national park. Although the park administration banned the use of such nets in its waters, their use continues unchecked, posing serious risks to gharial conservation.

The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) has been listed as a protected species in Nepal. As per the existing legal provisions in the country, anyone found poaching this animal faces a jail between one to 10 years or a fine ranging from Rs 100,000 to Rs 500,000, or both.

For Devghat’s older generation, the solitary reptile is more than a conservation statistic. “Seeing it again after so many years feels like the river is trying to heal,” said Dal Bahadur quietly.