Location
The Crocodile Bank is situated some 42 kilometres from the Chennai
city. The Crocodile Bank is located in yet another important
district of Tamil Nadu state which is Mahabalipuram. The region
falls south of the Chennai city and is accessible by taking either
the East Coast Road or the Old Mammalapuram (Mahabalipuram) Road.
Overview
The Crocodile Bank at Chennai is famous for the the captive
breeding of various Indian and African crocodile species. The
Crocodile Bank was started in the year 1976 by a known
environmentalist (herpetologist by profession) Romulus Whitaker. The
place is kind of a park where some of the rare species of crocodiles
can be viewed. The park area is spread over 3.2 hectares of land,
with the area enclosed by continuos flanks. The park area consists
of pools and marshes which resemble with the natural habitat of
these species.
Features
The Crocodile Bank started its noble work with the aim, that is to
preserve the endangered crocodile species found in the Indian sub
continent. The park at present contains more than 6000 reptiles
including various Indian crocodile species, African crocodile
species and alligators. The seven species of reptiles that flourish
in the park include three Indian types, Marsh or Mugger crocodiles,
Gharial and the Saltwater crocodiles. The park is also inhabited by
Dwarf crocodile of Africa, Morlet's crocodile from Mexico, American
Alligator, and the Siamese crocodile.
The Crocodile Bank is also a known place for various scientific
research conducted on the reptiles and information dissemination
centre.
Accessibility
The place is located south of the Chennai at a distance of 42
kilometres from the city center. Buses plying for the Mahabalipuarm
provide the access. Mahabalipuram lies 14 kilometres further south
from Crocodile Bank. The nearest railway stations to the place is
Chengalpattu (29-km).
 |
|
