India's Saltwater Crocodile Population Hits 1,858

India's Odisha state is celebrating a conservation win that took decades to achieve: its saltwater crocodile population has climbed to 1,858, up by 32 from last year.

The annual count happened in January across river systems near Bhitarkanika National Park, Gahirmatha Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Mahanadi delta. Teams of conservationists spent three days surveying the estuaries where these ancient reptiles thrive.

The numbers tell a healthy story. More than a quarter of the population are hatchlings, showing that crocodiles are successfully breeding in the wild. The rest include yearlings, juveniles, sub-adults, and 353 fully grown adults.

Most of the crocodiles call the Kanika Wildlife Range home, where 1,424 were spotted along forest blocks and rivers. The remaining population spreads across three other ranges, with conservationists tracking each group carefully.

The survey teams used a smart approach. During daytime, they counted larger crocodiles over six feet long from boats. At night, they returned with powerful spotlights to find the smaller ones: hatchlings under two feet, yearlings up to three feet, and juveniles up to six feet.

The Bright Side

This year brought something new to the conservation toolkit. Forest officials tested drones in December to see if technology could improve their counts. The pilot program tracked how high drones should fly, when to deploy them, and how crocodiles reacted to them overhead.

P.K. Jha, the state's wildlife chief, says drones will soon help identify individual crocodiles by their unique features. Think of it as facial recognition for reptiles. This will give scientists more accurate data while reducing human error in counting.

The plan is to combine traditional boat surveys with drone monitoring. Cameras mounted on drones will photograph crocodiles in hard-to-reach river segments, building a database that tracks where specific animals live and move.

Odisha has spent decades protecting these powerful predators, which once faced extinction. Now it hosts India's largest population of saltwater crocodiles in their natural habitat, proving that patient conservation work pays off.

The steady population growth shows that protecting habitat and reducing human conflict works. Every year, the numbers inch upward as crocodiles reclaim rivers they once ruled for millions of years.