Conservationists are in a tizzy over the deaths of six endangered gharials in the Chambal wildlife sanctuary. The sanctuary, home to three-fourth of the entire global crocodile population, witnessed a similar incident in 2008 when about a 100 gharials had died after eating contaminated fish.
Forest officials at Chambal sanctuary, however, ruled out contamination.
"The post mortem reports of the aquatic animals have shown that they died because of natural reasons," a forest department official said.
The forest department has also sent the viscera of the animals for testing at a government laboratory in Barelli.
Wildlife experts demanded a probe.
The Gharials numbers have seen a sharp decline making it an endangered species now.