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Preliminary Vadodara Census Counted 417 Mugger Crocodiles in the Vishwamitri River

Wild mugger crocodile basking beside the water in Ranthambore National Park, India
Conservation · Population & status

A preliminary count from a February 2026 census in Vadodara, Gujarat, recorded 417 mugger crocodiles (Crocodylus palustris) in the Vishwamitri River. The two-day survey, completed on 7 February, was carried out by the Gujarat Forest Department and the zoology department at Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda with NGO volunteers.

The urban river stretch was divided into ten survey sections. Teams counted crocodiles by direct sightings during the day and by their characteristic eye-shine after dark. The 417 figure was released while the researchers were still analysing the census data, so it represents a preliminary count rather than a completed population analysis.

Vishwamitri River in Vadodara
The Vishwamitri River at Kamatibagh in Vadodara, photographed on 17 July 2025. Lashushwet / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The survey also examined size classes and river use

The census was designed to examine more than abundance. Census leader Ranjitsinh Devkar said the teams recorded crocodiles by size class and distribution, surveyed occupancy in different river sections, and documented basking behaviour, basking sites and dens. The researchers intend to compare these patterns with the previous census to examine how the urban population is using the river after dredging and desilting carried out under Vadodara’s flood-mitigation project.

Size structure also matters for conflict management

The size data also have a direct human–wildlife conflict component. The team plans to identify sections with more crocodiles around 2.5–3 metres long as higher-risk zones and use the results to guide recommendations intended to reduce close encounters between people and crocodiles.

Sources and image credit

  1. Raja, A. (2026, February 9). Vadodara just conducted a census for crocodiles. Its findings will help understand their behaviour better. The Indian Express.Best available authority-derived source for the census design. Based on interviews with census leader Ranjitsinh Devkar of Maharaja Sayajirao University and documents the joint Forest Department–MSU survey, ten survey sections, day/night methods, size classes, basking sites, dens, post-dredging comparisons and planned conflict-risk mapping. The numerical analysis was still pending when published.
  2. DeshGujarat. (2026, February 11). 417 Crocodiles Recorded in Vishwamitri River Stretch in Vadodara.Contemporary report of the preliminary tally: 417 crocodiles, including 103 between Kalaghoda and Narhari Hospital. States that data analysis was ongoing and the final report had not yet been released.

Image: © Giles Laurent, gileslaurent.com, License CC BY-SA — wild mugger crocodile in Ranthambore National Park, India, 17 March 2023. Cropped to 16:9; representative species photograph, not from the Vadodara census. Source: Wikimedia Commons. · CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Source

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