32 gharial hatchlings swept away

 Angul: During the current monsoon due to high tide in Mahanadi river water, about 30 gharial hatchlings were swept away at Satkosia . The Satkosia authorities are still in the dark about the missing hatchlings.

They have alerted the riverside villages to trace them if they have been washed away to their localities. The DFO, Saroj Panda, said there were about 60 gharials, including 30 hatchlings, at Mahanadi riverside before the monsoon. When it rained heavily, the hatchlings were swept away. The DFO said the forest staffers had rescued some hatchlings from the attacks of muggers in the river before the onset of monsoon.

Now, there are about 30 gharials, including 14 adults, which were born in 2021 and 2022. The DFO said efforts are on to recover the hatchlings swept away by monsoon rain by alerting riverside villages situated at the downstream of Satkosia.