From 234 to 242, Sundarbans crocodile population records rise in a year: Report
Times of India | 19 August 2025
Kolkata: The Indian Sundarbans is home to an estimated 220 to 242 saltwater crocodiles, the 2024-25 report on population assessment and habitat ecology of estuarine crocodiles in the delta revealed. The number was between 204 and 234 during the same exercise conducted in 2023-24. A forester said that this is a population trend and not the exact figure.
The latest report was released in presence of principal secretary and head of forest force, Debal Roy, in the Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary on Monday. "The exercise between Dec 2024 and Feb 2025 with 23 teams was conducted with necessary modifications. This time, it was done on three days in each of the three months through direct and indirect sightings along the creek or transect length in the entire Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve. Almost 1,168 kilometres of transect length was covered this time compared to 955 in 2023-24," said Rajendra Jakhar, field director, Sundarbans Tiger Reserve. Justine Jones, deputy field director of STR, said that based on the direct sightings of 213 (108 in STR and 105 in South 24 Parganas division) — up from 168 in 2023-24 — the estimated number of saltwater crocodiles in the Indian Sundarbans is a minimum 220 and a maximum of 242. The encounter rate was found to be one crocodile per 5.5 kilometres of transect compared to one crocodile per 7.6 kilometres recorded during the last exercise. "Crocodiles here prefer high tide creek width of 10-130 metres with a median of 90 m. They prefer a salinity range of 10-23 PPT (parts per thousands) and an ambient temperature of 20°C-30°C for basking in winter months," said the report. The exercise covered 70% of total creek length of Sundarbans. Crocodiles exceeding length of 240 cm were considered adults and those with length greater than 90 cm but less than 180 cm were considered juveniles. A total 125 adult and 88 juvenile crocodiles were sighted during the exercise. "There is an increase in number of hatchling sightings which is an encouraging sign as sighting of hatchlings is very rare on a terrain like the Sundarbans," Jakhar added. An analysis of recent crocodile straying data shows that most of the crocodile rescues on the delta occurs in May-June, which coincides with their nesting season and that majority of rescued crocodiles are female. "This suggests that suitable nesting habitat in the forested islands are becoming scarce, forcing the nesting females to fringe and human-dominated islands," the report said.