Crocodile Count – VNC India

Crocodiles counted by the people who turn up for it

Since 2013, volunteers have walked the ponds and reservoirs of the Charotar region each January and recorded every mugger crocodile they find. It is the first survey of its kind in Gujarat, and it remains the region’s primary record of how this population is changing.

◆ About the count

Crocodiles that live among people

The muggers here are not in a reserve. They live in village ponds and irrigation reservoirs, in the middle of farmland, sharing water with the people who use those banks every day. Charotar is one of the clearest examples in India of large predators and dense settlement coexisting — and the count is how that relationship gets measured.

You do the actual survey

Not a demonstration. Teams are assigned real transects and their records become the year’s figure.

Data that gets used

Consolidated on the final morning and shared with the Gujarat Forest Department and researchers working on the species.

The people behind it

Three days with researchers, forest officials, villagers who live alongside crocodiles, and seventy others who chose to spend a January weekend doing this.

Method you can carry

How transects are assigned, how size classes are judged, what counts as a confident record — training that transfers to any field survey.

No experience necessary — that is rather the point.

A good share of every year’s cohort has never done fieldwork before. Training happens on day one, and every team walks with someone who has done this before.

Register for 2027 →

How the three days run

◆ Program Schedule

Day 01

Check-in & Orientation

14:00 Arrival, check-in, kit collection and room allocation
16:30 Welcome, and an introduction to the Charotar wetlands
17:30 Session: mugger ecology and identifying what you see
19:00 Keynote: living alongside crocodiles in Gujarat
20:30 Dinner, and briefings with your field team

Day 02

Field Count & Workshops

07:00 Departure for designated wetland sites
08:00 Basking survey and transect mapping
12:30 Return to base & lunch
14:30 Workshop: survey method and recording data
17:00 Panel: conservation led by the communities who live here

Day 03

Validation & Synthesis

07:30 Secondary morning validation count
10:30 Consolidating and cross-checking every team's datasheets
12:00 Provisional count announced
13:30 Closing, certificates and lunch before departure

Who you’ll learn from

◆ Speakers & Leads

Participation fees & inclusions

One fee covers everything on the ground for all three days — accommodation, every meal, local transport and your field kit. Travel to Vallabh Vidyanagar is your own.

◆ Fees

Registration Tiers

70 places only

One fee, everything on the ground included. Register early and pay less.

Early Bird

^₹3,000

Valid until 15 Nov 2026

Standard

^₹4,000

Until —

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What the fee covers

Travel to Vallabh Vidyanagar is the only thing you arrange yourself.

Two nights' accommodation at the hostel in Vadtal, triple-occupancy and gender-separated
All meals from dinner on the first evening to lunch on the last day, plus tea and refreshments
All local transport between the hostel, the CHARUSAT venue and every survey site
Participant's field kit with datasheets, survey guides and a notebook
Every session and workshop including training, keynotes and the closing panel
Certificate of participation

Reserve your place

Takes about four minutes. Payment happens immediately after you submit, and your confirmation and check-in QR code arrive by email straight away.

◆ Registration

Participant details

Please use your name exactly as it appears on the photo ID you'll bring to check-in.

First name *

Last name *

Gender *

Date of birth * You must be 18 or older on the day the event starts.

Contact

Email * Your confirmation and QR code go here.

Phone *

Address *

City *

State *

PIN code *

Country *

Background

Highest education *

Field of study

Profession *

T-shirt size *

Emergency contact

Required for all field participants — someone we can reach who isn't attending with you.

Contact name *

Contact phone *

Relationship

Confirmations

You'll be taken to Razorpay to complete payment right after submitting.

✓

Confirming your registration

We've received your payment and are confirming your spot. Your confirmation email with check-in QR code will arrive shortly.

Frequently asked questions

◆ FAQ

Do I need any experience to take part?

None at all. Every year a large share of participants are doing their first survey of any kind. Training in species identification, size estimation and data recording happens on the first day, and every field team is led by someone experienced. What you need is a willingness to be outdoors for several hours and to record what you see carefully.

Who can participate?

Anyone aged 18 or over on 8 January 2027, from any background. Students, working professionals, teachers, researchers and complete newcomers to fieldwork all take part. The age limit is firm: this is unsupervised outdoor work near open water, and we are not able to take responsibility for minors within the team structure.

What does the registration fee cover?

Everything on the ground for the full three days: shared accommodation for two nights, all meals from dinner on 8 January to lunch on 10 January, tea and refreshments, all local transport to and from the survey sites, a participant’s field kit with datasheets and survey guides, full access to every session and workshop, and a certificate of participation. Travel to and from Vallabh Vidyanagar is not included and is arranged by you.

Where will I stay, and what are the rooms like?

Participants stay together at a hostel facility in Vadtal. Rooms are triple-occupancy and non-air-conditioned, with attached bathrooms. There is no internet access at the hostel, so please make your own arrangements if you need to stay connected. Rooms are gender-separated and allocated by the organising team based on availability — there is nothing to request during registration, and we are unable to take specific room preferences.

What food is provided?

Simple vegetarian meals, cooked locally, are served throughout the event. We are not able to cater for individual dietary requirements or preferences, so if you have specific needs please plan accordingly and bring what you require.

What should I bring?

Comfortable field clothing in muted colours, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, sturdy closed walking shoes, a refillable water bottle, any personal medication, and binoculars if you own a pair. Bring the same photo ID you registered with — you will need it at check-in. Datasheets, survey guides and your field kit are provided.

Where do the sessions and fieldwork take place?

Talks and workshops are held at the conference hall at CHARUSAT in Changa, our co-host for this edition. Surveys take place at assigned water bodies across the Charotar region. All transport between the accommodation, the venue and the field sites is organised and paid for by us.

Can I pay on the day?

No — the fee must be paid during registration. Places are limited to 70 and are confirmed only once payment is complete, so paying in advance is what secures your spot.

Can I cancel and get a refund?

Registration is non-refundable, except if the organisers cancel the event. With only 70 places available, a spot withdrawn close to the date is usually one nobody else can take up. Please register only when you are confident you can attend.

I am paying from outside India. What are my options?

We can arrange an alternative payment method for international participants. Please get in touch before registering and we will sort it out with you.

Is any financial assistance available?

We are not currently able to offer travel scholarships or fee waivers. Participants cover their own registration fee and their travel to and from Vallabh Vidyanagar.

Something went wrong during registration. What now?

Get in touch and we will help you finish it. If a payment was taken but you did not receive a confirmation email, contact us before trying again so we can check the record and avoid a duplicate charge.

Still have questions?

We usually reply within two working days. Close to the event dates, please call rather than email.

◆ Contact

Email info@crocodilecount.org Registration, payment & general queries

Phone +91 98981 42170 Mon–Fri, 10:00–18:00 IST

Organisation Voluntary Nature Conservancy 101 Radha Darshan, Behind Union Bank, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Anand, Gujarat 388120

◆ Registration Open

Seventy people. Three days.
One count that counts.

Registration for the January 2027 count is open. Places are limited to seventy and are confirmed on payment.

Register now → Read FAQ