Madras Crocodile bank - Chennai / Mamallapuram

MY EXPERIENCE :

I visited the Crocodile bank with my sister, Suzzanne and brother-in-law Amitaabh enroute to Mahaballipuram. Located just 45 kms form Chennai and 15 kms north of Mamallapuram (Mahabs),  this place is easily accessible via the East coast Road (ECR).


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The Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology is largest of it's kind in India and one of the largest reptile zoos in the world. It is spread over eight and a half acres of land and is home to over 2500 reptiles.
The park is also home to one of the only approved and the largest snake venom extraction centers in India,  which has a daily venom extraction show for the public.



One of the biggest attractions of the park (and with good reason!!) is a fierce salt-water crocodile known as Jaws III. This species, believed to be the biggest in southern Asia, is about 21 feet (7 meters) long and weighs over a ton.

It took us about 1.5 hours to cover the entire display at a leisurely pace.

PRACTICALITIES :


HOW TO GET THERE :

From Chennai and Mamallauram:
The Croc Bank is situated approximately 45km south of Chennai and 15km north of the tourist town of Mamallapuram. Nestled in a patch of indigenous forest and fronting the Bay of Bengal, the zoo is easily accessed by one of the many busses, taxis and auto-rickshaws that ply the scenic East Coast Road.

Bus Routes:
Adyar Bus Depot 588
T. Nagar Bus Depot 599
Koyembedu Bus Depot 118, 188K, 188D


TIMINGS AND RATES :

Tuesdays to Sunday : 08:30 am to 05:30 pm
Monday closed

Gate fee :
Adults- Rs. 35/-
Children - Rs. 10/-
Camcorder - Rs. 100/-
Still camera - Rs. 20/-

TRIVIA & FUN FACTS :

1) The bank currently houses over 2,400 crocodiles and also many species of turtles, snakes, and lizards which are viewable by the public.
2) The bank houses 12 endangered species of turtles and tortoises and 5 species of snakes, including king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), water monitors (Varanus salvator salvator), two species of pythons, and albino cobras.
3) Of the 5,000 reptiles bred at the Bank, 3,000 represent the native Indian species Crocodylus palustris, known as muggers.

4) JAWS III - Perhaps Croc Banks most famous ‘A’ list celebrity and one of the largest saltwater crocodiles in the world.

Jaws arrived at Croc Bank shortly after it opened in 1976 and for the first few years was housed with his brothers and sisters in what was then a fairly ordinary exhibit. However, when he started to outgrow his siblings in a truly astonishing fashion, it soon became apparent that he was no ordinary crocodile, but instead a genuine giant of freakish proportions. True to form, Jaws has grown into a real Spielberg monster, and cannot even be housed with other female crocs due to his unusually savage disposition and devastating strength.
Jaws now lives alone in a large, fortified enclosure and visitors can watch him being hand fed by his keepers every Sunday afternoon at 03:00 pm.

5) Underwater Gharial Exhibit - The only underwater crocodile exhibit in India
Visitors get the unique chance to see the magnificent gharial at its best; effortlessly cruising around amongst a myriad of fish and freshwater turtles, in a giant naturalistic aquarium.

6) Feeding - At the Croc Bank, the belief is in maintaining the natural instinct and behaviour of the animals through purpose designed activities. Such activities help to deepen our understanding towards them whilst providing them with enrichment to enhance the quality of their lives. Feeding demonstrations entail a variety of feeding techniques generally intended to encourage the larger, more sluggish crocodiles to actively ‘hunt down’ their food by strategically offering them morsels of food. Relished by the crocodiles and onlookers alike, this activity is a must.

A special treat is to watch Jaws III, the largest salt water crocodile in captivity in India feeding every Sunday at 03:00 pm.

7) Night Safari - Night is when crocodiles really come to life. The cool evening breeze coupled with the cover of darkness encourages a secret side of crocodile behaviour seldom witnessed during daylight hours. Territorial disputes, breeding activity and general high excitement around the ponds are highlights commonly experienced on night safaris.

All guests will be provided with torches and escorted around the Croc Bank by trained guides. The first visual of hundreds of glowing red eyes in the torch light never ceases to chill the spine!
Timings:
Saturday and Sunday 07:00 pm to 08:30 pm (Ticket counter closes at 08:00 pm)

NOTE (BACKPACKING TAMIL NADU 15.NOV.11 TO 12.DEC.11):

1)

This post is one in a series of posts which relate to my Back packing experience in Tamil

Nadu (from 15th Nov - 12th Dec) and any information provided should be read in that

context. Please refer to subsequent posts for my entire backpacker experience.

2)

Following is the planned sequence of travel :

Chennai-Mamallapuram-Chennai-Kanyakumari-KMTR (Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger reserve)

(Trinulveli)-Madurai-Rameshwaram-Thanjur-Auroville-Pondicherry-Chennai.

3)

The basic budget I have targeted is in the mid range segment (about Rs. 1500/- per day).