Status of Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) and human-crocodile interaction in Surat, India.

Trivedi, Krunal; Patel, C. G.; Goyani, Marmeek

doi:10.17161/randa.v29i1.17121

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Location-wise, Gujarat is a significant state in the country representing four biogeographic zones of India with forty percent of the country's total biogeographic diversity represented in this state (Rodgers et al, 2002). Gujarat is home to one of the largest populations of C. palustris in India, with large populations in Central Gujarat, around Saurashtra and Kutch, and a smaller population in South Gujarat (Vijaykumar et al, 1999;Vyas, 2010Vyas, , 2013Vasava et al, 2015;Trivedi et al, 2022).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Review on Mugger (Crocodylus palustris) mortality by vehicle collisions in Gujarat State, India

Vyas,

Mistry,

Vaghasiya

et al. 2023

JAD

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Railway lines, roadways, canals, and electricity cable networks pose serious problems to wildlife, fragmenting habitats worldwide. These infrastructures are well-recognized as linear intrusions. Today they represent a threat to wildlife, including to the mugger or marsh crocodile (Crocodylus palustris Lesson, 1831). The current study documents 15 crocodile-vehicle collisions (CVCs) recorded in 2 years (2021 and 2022); 11 were on roads, and 4 were on railway tracks. Sex was determined for eleven individuals (five males, six females) and four were of undeterminable sex due to crushing. A total of thirteen individuals were found dead at the various sites of collision, and two juvenile individuals were found injured and one of them was treated successfully and returned to the wild. The highest number of CVCs (nine) occurred in Central Gujarat, followed by three CVCs in Saurashtra, two in the Kutch region, and one in North Gujarat. Mitigation measures required for the collision situations in Gujarat are discussed. A literature survey showed that a total of 75 CVCs were recorded within the last 18 years due to the state's road (n= 51, 68%) and railway (n= 24, 32%) networks, with the highest number of CVCs (56) observed in Central Gujarat and the lowest numbers of CVCs noted in North Gujarat (2) and South Gujarat (no CVCs). There was a high number of subadult and juvenile mugger CVC victims. The CVC site location in the different regions of Gujarat state positively corresponds to crocodile populations. However, the mugger crocodile (C. palustris) is nationally protected under the Indian Wildlife Act as a Schedule I species, and the IUCN criteria is 'Vulnerable' and it is an Appendix 1 (CITES) species; therefore, conservation measures are required. CVC incidences were recorded widely in the entire species distribution range, from Iran, India, and Sri Lanka, and can be considered as an emerging threat to mugger crocodiles.

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Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Review on Mugger (Crocodylus palustris) mortality by vehicle collisions in Gujarat State, India

Vyas,

Mistry,

Vaghasiya

et al. 2023

JAD

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“…The Ukai water reservoir is one of the largest water reservoirs on the upper Tapi River. The Ukai Dam and Tapi River are the habitat of the Mugger Crocodile (Vyas 2008;Trivedi et al 2022). The irrigation canal networks provide the safest and easiest migration route for the crocodiles (see: Vyas and Basu 2008) and there have been several examples of Mugger Crocodiles migrating through the canals and settling in new waterbodies of the state (Vyas et al 2012(Vyas et al , 2020Vasava et al 2015; Fig.…”

Section: O N S E R V At I O N a N D N At U R A L H I S T O R Ymentioning

confidence: 99%

Critiques: On the first sighting report of Mugger Crocodile from Purna River, South Gujarat, India.

Vyas

2023

RandA

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R ecently, Chaudhari et al. (2022) published a report of a Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) from the Purna River, District Tapi, Gujarat, claiming it as the first confirmed record of the species. It was based on a sighting of a three-meter-long adult Mugger observed at the banks of the Purna River at Mordevi Village, Valod, Tapi District, Gujarat, India. However, this is not the first record of Mugger Crocodiles from the Purna River, in South Gujarat, India. This entire area is known as Dang Forests, South Gujarat. It is one of the most pristine forest habitats in Gujarat and supports a rich biodiversity (Singh et al. 2000; Pandey et al. 2004). This forest was the erstwhile abode of many different species, including the Sloth Bear (Mehirsus ursinus), Smooth Indian Otter (Lutra perspicillata), Malabar Giant Squirrel (Ratufa indica dealbatus), Dhole (Cuon alpinus), Tiger (Panthera tigris), and Mugger Crocodile, the rare Rusty-spotted Cat (Felis rubiginosa), and ungulates such as the Spotted Deer (Axis axis), Sambar (Cervus unicolor), Barking Deer (Muntiacus muntjak), and Four-horned Antelope (Tetracerus quadricornis) (Worah 1991).Critiques: On the first sighting report of Mugger Crocodile from the Purna River,

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Status of Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) and human-crocodile interaction in Surat, India.

Cited by 2 publications

References 5 publications

Review on Mugger (Crocodylus palustris) mortality by vehicle collisions in Gujarat State, India

Review on Mugger (Crocodylus palustris) mortality by vehicle collisions in Gujarat State, India

Critiques: On the first sighting report of Mugger Crocodile from Purna River, South Gujarat, India.

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