TripsGuru - India Travel & Tourism

The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, founded in 1976 by Romulus Whitaker and few other like minded people is a public Trust managed by a Board of Trustees. The CrocBank is located 40 km south of Chennai city on 3.2 hectares along India’s east coast road with the Bay of Bengal as a backdrop. The high aquifer on the sandy coast provides sufficient water supply and the proximity to the major ancient temple complex and tourist destination at Mahabalipuram ensures annual visitation. The Bank was initially established for the conservation and study of Indias three endangered crocodilians: the mugger, Crocodylus paluster, the gharial, Gavialis gangeticus, and the saltwater crocodile, Crocodylus porosus.

Starting with 30 mugger adults, the Bank has bred over 5000 and now holds over 2400 crocodilians of 14 different species. By 1987 the CrocBank developed a much broader focus, and became the Center for Herpetology, Indias premier institution for herpetofaunal conservation, research and education. Currently besides crocodilians, the Bank maintains 12 endangered species of turtles and tortoises, five species of snakes, including the King Cobra, Ophiophagus hannah, water monitor lizards, Varanus salvator salvator, two species of pythons and albino cobras. Housed in enclosures very similar to their natural habitat visitors can get a close view of how these reptiles live in the wild.

Over the years, the CrocBank has supplied zoos with crocodiles, crocodile eggs, snakes, water monitor lizards, iguanas for breeding programs and for exhibits. In doing so, it has helped ensure that populations in the wild are not utilized for this purpose and remain unaffected. Surplus reptiles at the CrocBank are available for transfer and exchange. In case a recognized institution wishes to acquire any reptiles please feel free to write to us at mcbtindia@vsnl.net.

Contact

Payal Narain
Projects coordinator
9884086884
Nikhil Whitaker
Curator
9840379164

Captive Breeding Of Crocodilians

Initially, crocodiles from various captive facilities and eggs from the wild were transferred to the CrocBank to start gene pools. There was much excitement about the breeding achievements at the Bank; the first clutches of muggers, Crocodylus paluster were cared for with great tenderness. Today, the second and third generations of these crocodiles have become excellent breeders and room for all is becoming limited! Mugger crocodiles are perfect captive animals; they possess a high degree of mutual tolerance and have a social order that allows high stocking densities. In addition one male is an adequate breeding partner for 50-70 females. One of the unusual unique features at the CrocBank is the ability of our female muggers to lay two clutches of eggs, double clutching, during the same season, what we now call our ‘embarrassing success’.

A pair of saltwater crocodiles, Crocodylus porosus, since 1983, obliges the Bank by producing large clutches of eggs each April. Since 1990 their offspring have started producing eggs each year.

Breeding the gharial, Gavialis gangeticus was thought to be a little trickier in the beginning until the first successful breeding in 1989. It was then realized that females and males of this unique large reptiles have to attain a certain size class, males over 3 m and females over 2.5 m to start breeding and since then 6-8 females lay eggs annually.

The other species of crocodiles that have bred successfully at the Bank are the Spectacled caiman, Caiman crocodylus crocodylus, Siamese crocodile, Crocodylus siamensis, Morelets crocodile, Crocodylus moreletii, Nile crocodile, Crocodylus niloticus and the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis.

Double clutching!! In 1979, something very strange was noticed: five females produced eight clutches of eggs in one season! Soon it became apparent that many of the Bank’s mugger crocodiles, including the second generation animals, regularly laid two clutches per season with an interesting interval of 35-45 days. At this rate the population grew by leaps and bounds. This feature is not known for muggers outside of the CrocBank or for any other species in the wild.