- India’s national aquatic animal- Gangetic River Dolphin.
- Spoilt for choices at Chambal National Sanctuary
Ever since the Gangetic River Dolphin was declared the national aquatic animal of India in 2009, it was on our wishlist.
Well, but no one can see any wildlife on his own wish. All we can do is go to that place where the wildlife resides, take a ride, wait patiently, and pray for the best of our luck.
Wildlife tourism is thus an unpredictable trip and that is its charm. You never know what you will get to see.
Our wish did not materialize till April 2014. By then we did see another dolphin in India, which is an oceanic dolphin but euryhaline in habit (adapt to a wide range of salinity):Irrawady Dolphin in Chilika lagoon in Odisha.
Gangetic Dolphin thrives in National Chambal Sanctuary
National Chambal Sanctury, which is also India’s first aquatic sanctuary, is spread over a 400 km long stretch, running through three states – Rajasthan, MP, and UP.
Chambal is the cleanest and healthiest river of India and is one of the last few surviving habitats of the Gangetic Dolphin.
One fine morning in April, we packed our bags for Jarar village in UP, our base for a ride in Chambal River(NCS) for spotting Dolphins.
Evening Safari in search of Gangetic Dolphins
Evening Safari started at four when sun was still far away from turning red. We boarded a silent motor boat but instead of zipping through the water, we just sailed.
The boatman knew more than the guide and even before we could spot any wildlife, he turned the boat and took us to as close as possible at a safe (for wild life, not for us) viewing distance.
Meeting birds in the safari
This sanctuary is home to many migratory birds in winter, but even in April, when only resident species were there, it was abuzz with birds.
Owls and vultures on the trees and rocks at banks, saras crane, thicknee, ducks, wagtail, lapwing, all outwitted each other to fill the silence with their flutes and flutter. But the star was the Indian Skimmer.
Many Indian Skimmers flew at once, skimmed on water and their orange beaks glistened in sun and in reflection in water. CNS is the proud and preferred nesting habitat of a large number of Indian Skimmers.
Meeting turtles, Magar and Gharial in Chambal
Of the eight varieties of fresh water turtles in Chambal, we could spot two- the Tent turtle and the Soft turtle.
Magar and Gharials gave a full view of their mighty scales and jaw. But we did not stop for long. We had paid them our obeisance in the morning safari.
The aim of this ride was to reach the spot where the ‘Tiger of the Chambal- Gangetic dolphins’ would be playing. We sailed silently and waited patiently and wishfully.
The boatman, guide, Manish and I took one direction each. Kids kept on looking everywhere.
Disappointment looms large
For a while nothing happened, not even a ripple. We wished in our heart and kept the eyes engaged on the surface of water. Nothing happened. Sun was changing the color fast now. We had to depart in time to reach the embarking point before dark. Time was ticking by and heart was sinking down.
Hope Glimmers
A ripple, then another ripple broke the stillness of water. But it went away before we could ask each other and all could see it. More and more ripples appeared and there but we could not get even a dubious look at their long snouts.
These dolphins do not come out of water for as long time as Irrawady Dolphins, rather so less that it is impossible (for us lesser mortals) to take even a video record, what to talk of a photo.
Only Manish spotted one! The long pointed nose, characteristic of all the river dolphins, came out on water surface and before he could even complete the word ‘see’, it was gone.
When we all turned to that side, all we saw was ripples. The activity increased and we saw many ripples further up the river. Me and my kids could not spot one. But to know that this endangered species were there and were thriving in the Chambal was enough to feel contended.
Gangetic Dolphin
Gangetic dolphin is the only freshwater dolphin of India and is found in the river Ganga and Brahmputra and its tributaries.
After the Yangtze River dolphin of China went extinct in 2006, it was heartening to listen to the announcement of our river dolphin as the National aquatic animal.
The Gangetic dolphin (found in Ganga and Brahmputra) and the Indus dolphin (Indus river in Sind province, Pakistan) belong to the same species.
The curious case of Gangetic Dolphin, Indus Dolphin and river Saraswati
Author Sanjeev Sanyal, in his well known book “The land of Seven Rivers-A brief history of India’s Geography” ponders over the lost Saraswati river, asking how these two cousins (Gangetic and Indus Dolphin) come to live far from each other in these two disconnected rivers.
“ As already mentioned, physical surveys and satellite photos confirm that the Sutlej and the Yamuna were once the tributaries of the Saraswati…
Unfortunately, the river appears to have lost the Yamuna, perhaps due to a tectonic event…
It then lost Sutlej, its major tributary, to the Indus. The Sutlej is a moody river and has had many channels in the past. Its ancient name Shatadru literally means of a hundred channel. At some time it swung west towards Indus. The old channel flowing east remain visible in satellite photographs….
…Shifting of the rivers may explain one of the mysteries of the subcontinent’s wildlife: how the Gangetic and Indus river dolphin came to belong to the same species.
The problem is that the two river systems are today not connected, and the dolphins obviously could not have walked from one to another. The sea route too is unlikely since the mouths of the two rivers are very far.
In any case the river dolphins are not closely related to the salt water dolphins of the Indian Ocean and must have evolved separately from them. One possibility therefore is that the shifting rivers allowed the dolphins to move from one place to another.”
Author Sanjeev Sanyal in ” The land of Seven Rivers – A brief history of India’s Geography”
Recently, India announced to abolish the use of dolphins in aquatic theme parks or to establish a dolphinarium.
On my part, I pledge not to see any kind of animal show anywhere, as my duty of being a responsible tourist.
Long live the planet earth and all of its living and nonliving inhabitants!
Some interesting information about Indian Skimmers:
1. Indian Skimmer flies low over the water surface. It slices the water with its knife like lower beak. Any fish or shrimp on the surface is caught in its beak.
2. This bird has a strong underbite.
3. Around Chambal this bird is known as Pancheera as it tears the water.
4. About 20% of its total population of 2500 birds nest along river Chambal.
5. These birds arrive at Chambal from the coastal area of Gujarat and Sunderbans in late winters.
6. These birds nest when the dropping river level exposes the stretches of sand. These birds scrap a shallow depression in the soft sand and lay there eggs there. They do not take any trouble to make a nest for the upbringing of their progeny.
7. These bird nest together creating nurseries.
8. The adult pair feeds in early morning and evenings taking turn in incubating.
9. However, generally the temperature rises in afternoon and the embryos needs cooling then warmth. So the birds wet their under-bellies before squatting on their nests. At this temperature water evaporates fast and so the birds hurry to the water edge every three to five minutes.
10. For 25 days, the Skimmer pair continue to keep their eggs and newborns warm at night and cool during the days.
11. Canine Threat – When the water level recede further, these islands get connected to the mainland. These birds are not militantly protective of its offspring and so many of them are devoured by the canines.
12. On the contrary, the black-bellied terns are super protective of their offspring and almost become missiles, swopping and striking any prowler (even Humans).
13. In a study by biologist Parveen Shaikh only 15% of skimmer eggs hatched.
(Information taken from an article by Janaki Lenin in The Hindu – “Indian Skimmers by the Chambal”)