A male gharial has been released into Rapti river to serve the need of a male gharial for breeding.
A male gharial released earlier into the Rapti and Narayani rivers was killed after being trapped into a fishing net last year, leaving the rivers without a male gharial.
The fish-eating reptile was captured from the Babai river in the Bardiya National Park on Friday, brought here, and released into the Rapti river on Saturday, said Ram Chandra Kandel chief conservation officer at the Chitwan National Park (CNP).
The gharial was let free from the confluence of Rapti and Narayani rivers around one kilometer east of Gholaghat, he added. The gharial, around 35 years of age, weighs approximately 800 kg and is 416 centimeters long.
According to the 2016 census, both the rivers have a total of 166 crocodiles. So far, the total 566 crocodiles have been released into Rapti river and 399 into Narayani river after raising them in the Kasara crocodile breeding center, said assistant conservation officer at the CNP Bed Bahadur Khadka, who looks after the center.
According to the same census, 31 new crocodiles were found in Babai river, and one in Karnali river. So far a total of 110 crocodiles have been let loose into Babai river, and 41 into Karnali river, said Khadka.
