“Reptiles don’t get any attention because they are not cuddly or cute like other animals. Most people will react ‘ew’ when they look at reptiles,” said Timple Madhumita D, Assistant Education officer at the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT), Centre for Herpetology in Tamil Nadu. 

“Our aim here is to change that attitude because reptiles often get ignored during conservation efforts,” she added. 

In addition to decades of conserving indigenous reptiles in mainland India, MCBT now houses a diverse range of reptilian species from across the globe, including lizards, turtles, snakes, and tortoises.

“We act as a genetic repository that’s why it’s called a bank and not a park or zoo,” said Timple Madhumita D. 

MCBT, founded in 1976 by Romulus Whitaker, an American-born Indian herpetologist, aimed to preserve three Indian crocodilian species: mugger, saltwater crocodiles, and gharials.

“Back then they were actively breeding all these three here and releasing them in the wild because the crocodile population was dwindling due to hunting,” she said. 

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Although the wild mugger population has rebounded, gharials remain critically endangered, and MCBT endeavours to boost their numbers. Yet, returning crocodiles to the wild has become challenging due to shrinking habitats.

Conservation efforts and challenges

Reptile conservation faces numerous hurdles, with the global trafficking of reptiles for body parts being a significant concern. Species like the monitor lizard, once abundant on the mainland, have dwindled due to extensive trafficking. Additionally, urbanisation has severely impacted crocodile populations, among the earliest amphibians to walk the earth.

“Urbanisation, river modifications, damming and sand mining are main causes for dwindling crocodile numbers. Especially for the gharials, riverbeds are a crucial habitat as they lay their eggs there and sand mining is posing a huge threat to their habitat,” explained Nikhil Whittaker, curator at MCBT. “Furthermore, human/crocodile conflict is a problem, especially in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh with the mugger crocodile and with the saltwater crocodile in the Andaman Islands and Odisha,” he added. 

Reptiles, like all creatures, play vital roles within ecosystems as both apex predators and prey species. They contribute to pest and rodent control, particularly in agricultural regions.

“NGOs like MCBT are involved in educating people on the value of snakes, in that they eat rats that consume thousands of kilograms of rice grain,” said Nikhil. 

Nikhil added that crocodiles are ‘vultures of the rivers’ and consume animal carcasses. “Tunnels mugger crocodiles dig to keep cool in the hot season are used by various amphibians, fish, and even water birds,” he said.

Regarding turtles and tortoises, the Madras Crocodile Bank collaborates with State Forest Departments to safeguard and breed critically endangered species, focusing on North India’s higher diversity. These species include the Red-crowned roof turtle, Three-striped roof turtle, and River terrapin.

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Outreach programs for awareness

People who are interested to know about reptiles can book a program with MCBT. 

“We have schools coming in for tours. We also have weekend talks, we do feed talks for the crocodiles, and we have snake talks where we speak with the public and educate them on snakes. We have several other programs as well like night safaris,  guided tours and reptile encounters where people can get to meet reptiles up close, learn more about them and clear their doubts,” said Timple. 

In their programmes, MCBT talks about the special features of reptiles and how they are crucial for biodiversity. 

Timple added that, in her experience, the younger generation is keen on learning more about reptiles. 

“Many schools now have green education as part of their curriculum. So children want to explore different areas and we have a good number of children interested in learning about reptiles.” But MCBT still struggles with adults, especially in the rural community, who are mostly fisherfolk. “So we are trying to change that by educating the young so that the next generation can change the mentality of others around them regarding reptiles.” 

To raise curiosity in people about their outreach programmes, MCBT also involves technology like virtual reality headsets. “Once we take out the virtual reality headsets, people become curious and are very interested to participate. Then we show them movies about reptiles around the world on these headsets,” Timple said. 

They use movies about different ecosystems like tropics, mangroves, deserts and the ocean for people to understand different reptiles and their behaviour in different regions. 

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“After watching the movie, they become more curious and then we start talking to them. We give them a worksheet with correct information versus common myths and beliefs they might have about reptiles,” said Timple.

Existing with reptiles like snakes

Snake bite is a common problem in the villages nearby and people are exposed to snakes from a younger age. 

“But the most common reaction for people is to kill snakes,” Timple added. In some schools MCBT visits, students are already handling snakes, which can be dangerous because they usually do not know how to identify venomous snakes from non-venomous ones. 

“They don’t understand why a snake is there, so they don’t learn how to coexist with snakes. We ask them not to kill the snakes and explain the reasons for snakes being present so they can co-exist.” 

In its awareness and outreach programmes, MCBT not only explains the environmental context of reptiles but also advises people of ways they can avoid immediate contact. 

“We usually advise people to keep the area clean and ensure there is no water accumulating nearby. Because with water there might be frogs and lizards and so snakes will definitely come,” said Timple. In addition to advising them on ways to protect themselves, MCBT also shares knowledge about anti-venom serum, where it’s available and what a person should first do if they get bitten by a snake.

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MCBT promotes snake awareness through monthly “snake walks.” These outings involve participants and members of the Irula tribe, renowned snake catchers in Tamil Nadu, fostering knowledge and understanding of snakes.

“Irulas are experts in tracking and catching snakes to help us identify where a snake might be. But snake walks are tedious and can usually take 4 to 5 hours,” said Timple. While MCBT has programs for all age groups, they usually have a minimum age group for their snake walks. 

Conservation and awareness are intertwined, and MCBT has been diligently contributing for decades. Nevertheless, reptile conservation in India remains an ongoing journey. The facility also offers the opportunity to adopt a reptile, with individuals from across the country sponsoring enclosures for crocs and gharials.

“Most of the schools in the surrounding area know about the croc bank and many people who come to visit us already know about our work too either through our employees or through word of mouth. But still more education and awareness is needed I feel,” Timple concluded.

Individuals can make a meaningful impact in their daily encounters with common wall lizards or by considering the option of adopting a reptile at MCBT.

The lead image at the top shows Crocodiles in their enclosure at the Madras Crocodile bank trust (Photo by Novita Singh)

Novita Singh is the Associate Director, Video at Village Square.