Hello,
I am back with another post today from India. We decided to head to the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust on a Sunday. One of our friends LOVES crocodiles and no-one else wanted to go as they were afraid. So Bhargav and Amber stepped up to the job of hanging out with over 400 crocodiles!
I hope you enjoy this post about my afternoon at the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust.
Opening hours
Tickets
Children (below 10 years): Rs.30/-
7:00pm – 8:30pm – Rs. 200 including a torch.
Getting there
The feeding
The Crocodile enclosures
I was pleasantly surprised at the safety within the park. My parents went to a crocodile park in the Gambia in the 1990’s and were allowed to walk in the pits. Here it was the opposite, the enclosures were behind big walls which were topped with fences, which made me feel secure.
We asked and space is representative in most enclosures of the natural habitats of these prehistoric creatures. We felt one of the Mugger enclosures was very small considering there was 300 within the one space, however, we were informed there was a new space being built for them. These were meant to be released back into the wild, but there were complications with an illness which prevented them from being reintroduced.
Local Wildlife at Madras Crocodile Bank Trust
There was this lovely sign which really reassured all of us about the local wildlife. The addition of the Venomous snakes we might be lucky enough to see was slightly worrying, but we laughed at it.
There is also a venomous snakes exhibit there, and another snake section. However, we only had an hour until the park closed so we ended up missing those areas.
We also missed the underwater crocodile exhibit which was a shame, but I will go back soon!
Conservation at the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust
Madras Crocodile Bank Trust
I really liked finding out more during my time here. It was fascinating to learn the differences between crocodiles and alligators, also just about their evolutionary pathway.
We didn’t really have enough time there, a few hours would have been better – it might not have enough to do for the whole day.
I hope you enjoyed, until next time
The Great Ambini
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I like that it is a sanctuary for rescued crocodiles, but it does seem pretty crowded in the pits. And one of the crocodiles has a huge gash in its side. But it also seems like they make an effort teaching people about crocodiles which is pretty cool!
The gash in the side made me uneasy, but I think it was to do with the hierarchy of crocs – I guess fighting like they would in the wild.
Being a resident of Florida we are used to seeing crocodiles but this place looks so much bigger than some of the crocodile parks in Florida. You got some really great up close photos and I was also surprised to hear the story about your parents. I can’t believe they actually were allowed to walk in a crocodile pit! That’s crazy!
I live in India (from Mumbai) and I hadn’t heard about this crocodile bank trust before. 400 crocodiles seem like a huge number. Jaws III must’ve been a real scary sight..wonder why they named him that..is it cause he is the largest crocodile? I’m not really a fan of crocodiles, but nice to see that there is a sanctuary for rescued crocodiles.
300 crocs in one enclosure… that’s a lot of crocs. I’m kind of glad I am not walking around in that one. Watching Jaws get fed must have been an experience. We have alligators in Florida and everytime you see one your heart jumps a little. They are primeval.
Yikes, that’s a mighty lot of sharp teeth in that pit! 300 in one enclosure?! Do crocodiles normally live in such close quarters in their natural habitats? I’d always thought of them as being solitary animals, but to be fair that might have just been something I invented all by myself somewhere along the road! Did the guides mention if they got on well or if there was a lot of infighting between them??
Whenever we visit a new body of water my youngest asks if there are crocodiles in the water. This could be in a warmer country or even home in Canada. This sanctuary is incredible. It really amazing that they’ve rescued so many crocodiles. It’s too bad those who became ill couldn’t be returned to the wild.
A 6-metre crocodile? That is huge. It must be something to see such a giant prehistoric creature. Your photos are amazing. I hope they succeed in building a new and bigger enclosure for the crocs, or in taking care of the problem so that they can release some back to the wild. Mind you, I wouldn’t want to run into one of them!
I have been to this Crocodile Bank in Madras when I was in class 8th. At that time, I was a little scared but now I understand the importance of endangered species and their importance to the environment. They have conserved 300 species of alligators which is great. Thanks for sharing as not many people about this place.
400 crocs?!?! That’s a lot!! And 300 all in one enclosure definitely seems like a lot. But I’m glad to hear that they are working on a new enclosure! I bet it was incredible watching Jaws III be fed!
Wow! That is a huge facility! I may be a little scared to go there, too, and I even live in Florida! Out of curiosity, what does the live feeding consist of? I’ve been to several around Florida and sometimes it is meats and often live rats, which was really hard for me to watch.
It was just meat, thankfully not a live feeding – I am also not sure I could watch that!