Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: DTE
Context: World Wildlife Fund has confirmed the presence of gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) in Pakistan (Punjab).
About the News:
Gharials is a critically endangered crocodilian unique to the Indian subcontinent, that was once extirpated from the region. Experts have suggested that the gharial may have come into Pakistan from India’s Punjab, where several gharials were released into the Beas River between 2017 and 2021, primarily from the Chambal basin in Madhya Pradesh.
About WWF
The World-Wide Fund for Nature (est. 1961; HQ: Gland, Switzerland) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment.
