Conserving endangered marsh crocodiles in Sundarbans

Following the saltwater crocodile species, the forest department has officially come forward in the breeding of freshwater species (marsh crocodiles) which are on the extinct list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
For this reason, three freshwater crocodiles of extinct species recovered from rivers in Faridpur, Pabna and Narail have been brought to Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Centre in Chandpai Range of East Sundarbans Division in Bagerhat, said Hawlader M Azad Kabir, officer-in-charge of the Sundarbans Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Centre and a crocodile expert.
Among these three crocodiles, one is male, and two are female. Among them, the female crocodile aged 14 years is sexually mature. The other two immature crocodiles include a male aged 12 years and another female aged 10 years. Since the male of the marsh crocodile species is not sexually mature, it will not be possible to hatch eggs through reproduction in the upcoming season.
The forest department hopes that by 2025 it will be possible to be hatched from eggs through the breeding of freshwater crocodiles at the Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Centre in Sundarbans by using the experience of breeding salt water crocodiles for almost two decades.
Azad Kabir said the country's first wildlife breeding center has been breeding salt water crocodiles, deer and hatchling the extinct Botargur Baska turtle since the establishment of the Sundarbans Karmjal in 2000. These offspring are being released into rivers and forests.
In 2000, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed freshwater crocodiles (marsh crocodiles) as extinct in Bangladesh. Since then, freshwater crocodiles were no longer seen in any river in the country. On October 17 of this year, a male freshwater (marsh crocodile) crocodile weighing 90 kg was first caught in Bhubaneswar, the tributary of the Padma river, at Aliabad in Faridpur Sadar.
Four days after this, on October 21, a seven feet four inches long female freshwater crocodile weighing 80 kg was caught from Padma river in Udaipur of Pabna’s Sujanagar upazila. The last female freshwater crocodile weighing 80 kg and six feet five inches long was caught from Migram Beel near Madhumati river in Lohagra upazila of Narail on October 28.
On November 9, the Department of Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation sent these three species of freshwater crocodiles to Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Centre in Sundarbans for conservation and breeding. The crocodiles are kept in three separate pans (crocodile sheds) for the breeding and living of the extinct species of Botargur Baska turtles along with salt water crocodiles in Karamjal, as all the three ponds have saline water.
These crocodiles, which are used to eating fish from open water bodies, have so far not eaten the meat. They only eat fish. The three crocodiles are adapting to the environment in the saline water ponds of the Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Centre.
The three freshwater crocodiles will be released from the pan only after digging a new pond for the three crocodiles or raising the banks of the old pond to prevent salt water from entering, said the crocodile expert.
Even if a female crocodile is an adult, it will not be possible to hatch the eggs until the only male crocodile reaches adulthood. In 2025, it will be possible to hatch babies from eggs through the breeding of freshwater crocodiles at the Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Centre in Sundarbans, said the crocodile expert.