CONSERVATION:
The species was threatened in the past by unregulated hunting for skins, but now the threats come from habitat destruction (considerable agricultural and industrial development), mortality in fishing nets (as they attempt to capture ensnared fish), egg collecting and illegal hunting (including the use of parts for medicinal purposes). Data on their status in the wild are variable. Although a number of populations exist throughout its range, they are isolated and their numbers are low. Several populations are feared to be extinct (e.g. Bangladesh, Myanmar). The largest populations are present in Sri Lanka, and are estimated to be around 2000 animals. In India, estimates of between 3000 and 5000 animals have been made, but these are split up into over 50 small populations.
Captive breeding and rearing programs in India have met with success, and restocking programs started in 1975 had been in operation until recently several protected areas. Excess numbers of captive-bred animals now reside in captivity, due to a decrease in the amount of suitable release sites in recent years. This is attributed to increased local opposition (mainly due to a lack of understanding) to the reintroductions in some areas - the Indian government has called a halt to all captive breeding of this species, and has discouraged any assessment of the commercial potential of this species in regard to its conservation - current management is usually based around protectionist policies which prohibit any interaction with the wild population. In other areas, interest in captive breeding and restocking programs are high (e.g. Pakistan). Principle threats to the species come from habitat alteration (e.g. damming projects), which affect both the ecology of the species and those upon which it relies for food.
MORE INFORMATION:
For more information on distribution and conservation issues for this species,see the CSG Action Plan resource.
SIGNIFICANT REFERENCES:
Rao, RJ (1994). Ecological studies of Indian crocodiles, an overview. In: Crocodiles. Proceedings of the 12th Working Meeting of the Crocodile Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. pp. 259-273
Whitaker, R (1987). The management of crocodilians in India. In: Wildlife Management: Crocodiles and Alligators (Eds. Webb, GJW, Manolis, SC & Whitehead, PJ). Surrey Beatty & Sons, Australia. pp. 63-72
Whitaker, R & Whitaker, Z (1984). Reproductive biology of the mugger. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 81(2): 297-316
Whitaker, R & Whitaker, Z (1989). Ecology of the mugger crocodile. In: Crocodiles. Their Ecology, Management and Conservation. A Special Publication of the Crocodile Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. pp. 276-297