Gharials are among the most Critically Endangered reptiles globally, with welfare threats from river habitat degradation, fishing net entanglement and illegal killing affecting tiny remaining populations.
Gharial welfare exists within a critical conservation emergency — a species driven to the edge of extinction that now survives only in small isolated populations facing ongoing habitat threats. Individual gharials experience welfare suffering from net entanglement, habitat degradation that reduces prey availability, and disturbance of nesting and basking sites. The welfare of individual gharials is inseparable from the conservation programs working to protect and recover the species. Captive breeding and release programs have delivered hatchlings into rivers where survival depends on habitat quality that remains compromised. River conservation including sand mining prohibition, fishing exclusion zones and community engagement represents the essential foundation for gharial welfare improvement.