Weekends could mean a drive down ECR road, having fun at all theme parks, theatres, food spots or maybe take off to Mamallapuram or even Pondichery. But stop a while, for there tucked in the dense tree covered area is a haven for crocodiles fondly referred to as the “Croc Bank”.
Started in 1976, by Romulus Whitaker, The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT), is a reptile zoo and a place where herpetology research is conducted. Cool and shady the Croc Bank has around nine acres of green canopy to house its inmates — around 2400 crocs, snakes and turtles.
The goal of the bank was to protect and preserve three species of crocs that are on the red alert list — the mugger (Crocodylus paluster) , the gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) , and the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) .
This crocodile conservation centre is the largest in India and has bred over 6000 crocs. Some have been freed into their natural habitat and some have been sent to other zoos and wildlife parks not only in India but also to other parts of the world. The bank also has a snake venom extraction centre approved by the government.
There is a host of fun filled activities waiting at the bank along with educational programmes for schools. Education officers Akanksha and Gayathri ensure that interest is sustained. Games, questions and answers, show and tell are part of this. Baby reptiles are brought out and shown to the kids — for example, the shell, the snout, the teeth and this is followed by discussion on what they saw.
Teachers at times request the bank to do a syllabus based programme at which time certain topics are chosen and the programmes goes along in those lines. For example, if the topic is about “Animal adaptation to suit the environment,” the crocodile is discussed as an “ambush predator.” The crocs major sensory organs are on top of its snout, and this is why they hide (only the snout is visible above the water) and catch their prey.
Half day and the one day programmes have documentaries and presentations. “Behind the scene” takes you on a journey through what makes the Croc Bank tick. How the zoo is maintained, the veterinary care and the educational components are discussed as well as demonstrated. Another exciting opportunity is to be a Junior zoo keeper for a day, of course under the keepers' supervision. You can follow the keeper, help with the feeding of the reptiles, cleaning the pens and generally get the feel of how a zoo is run.
Don't miss out on the underwater room, whee you see the aweinspiting gharial in its majesty, at very close quarters.
Overnight adventures include a snake walk with members of the Irula snake catchers. They do not disturb the non venomous snakes; by the snake “tracks” they recognise the species and handle them gently. They extract the venom and release the snake back into the wild. A visit to the bat colony nearby is included.
You can celebrate your birthday at the Croc bank too, by bringing a cake and refreshments. There will be a special guided tour, and games but fireworks, balloons and plastic are definitely a “no-no”.
Turtle walks are organised between December and March when the female Olive Ridleys come to the shore to lay their eggs. There are other special tours during the wildlife week in October.
Contact: www.madrascrocodilebank.org
education.mcbt@gmail.com
An adventure to be remembered is the night safari – the crocs are particularly active during night time. You will see the crocs behaving quite differently at that time. Plenty of territorial disputes can be seen. Jaw slapping, a loud thud as the jaws slap the water, is a vocalisation that clearly carries the message “Watch out! This is my space,” goes on. Guest are provided with torchlights and when they flash into the pen, hundreds of glowing red eyes cut through the darkness and makes you wonders whether the stars have come down.
Meet Jaws
He has been at the Croc Bank for some time now. When he came in he weighed 15 kgs.
He is now 40 years old, 16 feet long, and 600 kgs.
He is a loner and hates having “company” in his pen
Animals in captivity need exercise and there are special command words to make him walk.
He is fed once a week — Sundays at 3 pm. When the clock is five minutes to three you will see him surfacing for his meal
Indian gavial
The gharial sometimes called Indian gavial or gavial, is the only surviving member of the once well represented family Gavialidae, a long-established group of crocodilians with long, slender snouts. The gharial is listed as a critically endangered species by IUCN.
The most distinctive feature of the group is the very long, narrow snout, which is an adaptation to a diet of small fish.
Gharials thrive in deep rivers. They are powerful swimmers but graceless on land, and will leave the water only to bask or to nest on sandy beaches.
The bulbous growth on the tip of the male's snout is called a 'ghara' (meaning 'pot'), present in mature individuals. The ghara is used to generate a resonant hum during vocalisation. It acts as a visual lure for attracting females and it is also used to make bubbles which have been associated with the mating rituals of the species.
The mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) (literally "crocodile of the marsh"), also called the Indian, Indus, Persian, or Marsh crocodile.
The name "mugger" is a corruption of the Urdu word “magar” which means "water monster". This is in turn derived from “makara,” the Sanskrit word for crocodile.
Mainly a freshwater species, the mugger crocodile is found in lakes, rivers and marshes. Muggers prefer slow-moving, shallower bodies of water rather than, fast-flowing, deep areas.
The saltwater or estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the largest of all living reptiles.
Saltwater crocodiles generally spend the tropical wet season in freshwater swamps and rivers, moving downstream to estuaries in the dry season, and sometimes traveling far out to sea. Crocodiles compete fiercely with each other for territory, with dominant males in particular occupying the most eligible stretches of freshwater creeks and streams. Junior crocodiles are thus forced into the more marginal river systems and sometimes into the ocean.
