Endangered ghariyals dying of unknown causes

CRITICAL HIT: Seventeen Ghariyals have been found dead in the Chambal river in UP.

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Keywords: Chambal, Endangered Species

Etawah, UP: Seventeen Ghariyals have been found dead in the Chambal River in Etawah, in northern Uttar Pradesh.

While a few carcasses were found on the banks, some were found floating in the river.

Scientists are still uncertain about what could have lead to their death, but the possibility of an epidemic has not been ruled out. However, they have denied poisoning or poaching as being causes for the deaths.

In a statement made to news agency UNI, wildlife conservator V K Pattnaik said that preliminary post-mortem stated that the immediate cause of the deaths was ‘damage in the liver and lungs’.

''There was no injury to any of the dead Ghariyals nor was there any evidence of poisoning. Only bacterial disease could be a possible reason for their deaths'', he claimed

The number of deaths could be much higher, though, with unofficial reports claiming that over two dozen Ghariyals had died in the past week alone.

The Ghariyal is on the ‘Critically Endangered’ list with just 200 breeding pairs left in the country.

With inputs from UNI