Harike Pattan to get 15 gharials soon

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 28

More than 15 gharials will be released in the Beas, in Harike Pattan, early next year. The government took the decision after the Punjab Wildlife Department and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWFN) surveyed the area. The move could help turn the area into a major tourist destination.

Experts from the WWFN plan to release the gharials near Karmowal village as the area has several water bodies and sand banks, which is a suitable habitat for the animals. Wildlife Department officials said a close watch would be kept on the gharials in the initial phase. If all went according to plan, more gharials would be released.