Gharials are critically endangered fish-eating crocodilians whose welfare depends on the health of South Asian rivers that have been severely degraded by sand mining, dams, and pollution.
Wild gharials in degraded river systems face starvation from depleted fish stocks, entanglement in fishing nets, and loss of nesting sites to sand mining operations. Individual gharials caught in nets drown after prolonged struggling — a welfare harm compounded by the rarity of each individual to the population. River restoration, sand mining regulation, and fishing gear modification are critical welfare and conservation interventions for this extraordinary and ancient species.