He’s hugged crocodiles, rescued snakes, and even snuck two king cobras on a long-distance train. Watch Roundglass Sustain Editor-in-Chief Megha Moorthy interview the Snake Man of India
Romulus Whitaker has had an illustrious career, spanning three exciting decades. He is one of India’s leading herpetologists and wildlife conservationists, founder of the Madras Snake Park (1972) and the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (1976), filmmaker and writer. But above anything else, Rom is a fantastic storyteller. Watch this two-part interview.
About the contributor
Sustain Team
We are a driven group of people from diverse backgrounds, bound by an abiding love for India’s natural world.
Related Content
Dhritiman Mukherjee: Training the Lens on Conservation Photography
Wildlife photography can inspire, build intimate relationships with the wild, and spark real change, says Dhritiman Mukherjee
A Rare View: Dhritiman Mukherjee Photographs the Narcondam Hornbill
In 2013, Dhritiman Mukherjee traveled to the remote island of Narcondam in Andamans and Nicobar, to photograph a bird found nowhere else in the world — the canopy-dwelling Narcondam hornbill. Watch what it is like to photograph from atop a 40-foot tall tree
The Land of Naga Bana
Herpetologist Gowri Shankar, who has spent a lifetime studying and protecting the king cobra, demystifies the remarkable relationship between serpent and human
In Conversation With Dr MK Ranjitsinh, Architect of India's Wildlife Laws
Dr MK Ranjitsinh’s is the prime architect of the Wildlife Conservation Act 1972 — the first, and most important, legislation on conservation. In his tenure, he also set up four sanctuaries, eight national parks and doubled the area of three existing national parks. Hear him speak of drafting policies, protecting forests, bringing back the gharial from the brink of extinction and India’s unending obsession with the tiger
Back from the Brink: Saltwater Crocodiles in Bhitarkanika
In the 1970s, the saltwater crocodiles of Bhitarkanika were on the edge of extinction, until a focused conservation effort revived their population in the mangroves
Snakes Can Be Friends Too
Wildlife cartoonist Rohan Chakravarty collaborates with the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust for a book that asks children to make friends with snakes, but from a safe distance