Though we have covered quite a number of places to visit in Mahabalipuram in our previous blogs including Monuments at Mahabalipuram, Descent of the Ganges, Arjuna’s Penance, Sea Shore Temple and many more, there is an ideal place, some 14 km from Mahabalipuram, where you can spend a lot of time learning about the wildlife and ecosystem, and have some fun, while at the same time - Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology.

The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, often known as ‘Croc Bank’, is a coastal dune forest, located at Vadanemmeli on the East Coast Road near Mahabalipuram. The Croc Bank was started by ‘Padma Shri’ Romulus Whitaker, world-famous herpetologist, who has devoted his life to rain forest conservation and reptile research, alongside founding the popular Madras Snake Park in Guindy. Owing to the efforts of Whitaker once a dry and barren stretch of marsh land was converted into one of the largest reptile zoos in the world and India’s biggest sanctuary for crocodiles.

The Crocodile Bank has been instrumental in educating wildlife and nature enthusiasts on the importance of preserving wildlife and environment for the future. The sprawling 10-acre park is the house to several reptiles including marsh crocodiles or mugger, turtles, gharial, house turtles and also snakes like Indian rock python, besides many species of exotic birds.

The ‘Adopt a Reptile Scheme’ of the Crocodile Bank has become popular among wildlife enthusiasts. Croc feeding is hosted every Sunday, as crocodiles are put up in enclosures known as ‘pens’. The Irula Snake Catchers Industrial Cooperative Society runs the popular snake venom extraction centre, which remains shut until the end of May as venom extraction is banned when summer hits the peak.

There is an aquarium to view the Gharial underwater, and an enclosed space that house young reptiles. Here, visitors get to learn everything on the reptile’s way of reproduction, habitat and major threats to young reptiles. The balmy breeze and lush green vegetation keep the place pleasant and cool. There are a number of food kiosks set up outside the bank which remains closed on Mondays. There is a small fee collected for taking a camera inside the bank. The ‘Croc Bank is perfect to capture photographs of birds if you are an avid shutterbug.

You can participate in weekend programs during the summer season - “Tails to Trails” towards the end of June. The event commences with a three-day programme at the ‘Croc Bank’ followed by a two-day visit to the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station in Karnataka. There are a lot of buses plying from various parts of Chennai to the Bank, one of the best spots for a quick getaway.