The gharial, one of the most critically endangered crocodilians, has been the subject of intensive captive breeding programs that have restored populations but face ongoing habitat challenges.
Gharials caught in fishing nets drown quickly as gill-breathing is prevented. River pollution and reduced fish stocks force gharials to travel greater distances for food. Sand mining destroys nesting beaches that females return to year after year. The captive breeding program has been welfare-positive overall, producing animals in controlled conditions before release, but the receiving habitat remains marginal. Released animals face the same threats that drove the population to near-extinction.