Swimming for Gharial!

Namaste, Hello, Guten Tag! I am Phoebe, a conservationist dedicated to bringing back the critically endangered gharial from the brink of extinction. I work with my wonderful team and friends in Nepal, in particular in Chitwan, where we strive to ensure these beautiful animals remain in Nepal's rivers into the future. The gharial population in Chitwan is slowly increasing, but this requires ongoing work through monitoring and protecting nest sites, understanding nursery habitat requirements for young gharial, supporting early-career conservationists in Nepal, and cultivating joy and pride for everyone lucky enough to share a river with gharial.

In July, I will swim 3.5km (2.2 miles) across the largest lake in Berlin, the Müggelsee, as part of the Müggelseeschwimmen. This is the lake my office is beside, that I look out on everyday whilst thinking about gharial. My goal is to complete the swim in less than two hours, which although being much slower than a gharial would achieve, is not so bad for a scientist! All funds raised will go directly towards our gharial community conservation and monitoring work in Chitwan, through Care for Nature Nepal. Care for Nature, founded by gharial conservationist Ranjana Bhatta, is dedicated to grassroots research, conservation and education efforts for gharial in Nepal https://carefornature.org.np