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CURRICULUM VITAERomulus Earl Whitaker IIIBorn: New York City; 23rd May 1943 Nationality: Indian (naturalized)Education: Diploma, Clinical Medical Laboratory Technology; BSc. Wildlife

ManagementLanguages: English (speak, read, write), Tamil (speak), Hindi (speak)

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY1963-1965, Assistant Manager, Miami Serpentarium Laboratories, Miami,

Florida 1965-1967, Clinical Lab Technician (U.S. Army Medical Corps), William

Beaumont General Hospital, El Paso, Texas and 406th Medical Laboratory, Camp Zama, Japan

1967-1969, Owner/Director, Venom Production Laboratory, Gaimukhbandar Village, Bombay, India

1969-1985, Founder-Director, Madras Snake Park and Reptile Research Center, Tamil Nadu, India

1976-Present, Founder- Managing Trustee, Madras Crocodile Bank/Centre for Herpetology, TN, India

1978-Present, Founder-Technical Advisor, Irula Tribal Snake-catchers Cooperative Society, TN, India

1989-Present, Founder-Team Leader, Centre for Island Ecology, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

1993-Present, Producer, Draco Films, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India2005-Present, Founder-Team Leader, Agumbe Rainforest Research Station,

Karnataka, India2006-Present, Founder-Member, Gharial Conservation Alliance

CONSULTANCIES1979-1981, Production Manager, UNDP/FAO. Assistance to the Crocodile Skin

Industry, PNGJune-July 1981, Culture and Propagation of Lizards in Bangladesh, FAO,

DaccaOctober-December 1981, Crocodile Farming and Management in

Mozambique, FAO MaputoMarch-May 1982, Crocodile Farming in Bangladesh, UNCTAD/GATT, DaccaApril-June 1983, Crocodile Resource Survey in Sabah, East Malaysia, WWF-

Malaysia, Kuala LumpurOctober 1984-February 1985, Crocodile Survey in Irian Jaya, USAID/WWF-

Indonesia, BogorOctober 1987-January 1988, Crocodile Farming Training Manual, Irian Jaya,

UNDP- IndonesiaJanuary-February 2007, Sustainable Use of Crocrodiles, Lake

Chamo,Ethiopia, African Parks1970 to Present: Consultant on Snakebite Prevention, Wildlife Management and Environmental Education to the Indian States of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Tripura, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and to the Kingdom of Bhutan

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OFFICIAL COMMITTEES AND SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPSHonorary Consultant, World Conservation Union/Species Survival CommissionHonorary Member, Steering Committee, IUCN/SSC Crocodile Specialist GroupMember, Western Ghats Task Force (1975-80)Co-Editor, IUCN/SSC Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter (1978-80)Chairman, Editor, IUCN/SSC Snake Specialist Group Newsletter (1982-83)Editor (Reptiles) Natural History Encyclopedia, Bombay Natural History

Society Centenary, 1985Member, IUCN/SSC South Asia Reptile Group, and IUCN/SSC Sea Turtle

Specialist GroupConvenor, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, Andaman

and Nicobar Islands Founder-Member, Palni Hills Conservation CouncilMember, Advisory Committee, Editorial Board, Journal of the Bombay Natural

History SocietyFellow, Ashoka Foundation, Innovators for the PublicFounder-Advisor, Irula Tribal Women’s Welfare Society, Afforestation/Herbal

Medicines Member, Centre for Science and Education, New DelhiMember, Centre for Environmental Education. AhmedabadFounder-Member, Tamil Nadu Society for Social Forestry ResearchHonorary Senior Fellow, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and

Environment

SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND PAPERS (over 200 from 1966 onwards, samples below; Rom also started India’s first herpetological journal, HAMADRYAD - Journal of Tropical Asian Herpetology, now in its 37th year of publication and edited by Aaron Bauer, Villanova University, Pennsylvania)Gharial survey report, Publication of Madras Snake Park Trust (MSPT), 1974Notes on behaviour, ecology and status of the marsh crocodile

(C.palustris) in S. India, MSPT, 1974Status and conservation of the gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), Herp Review

6(1), 1975Snakes responsible for snakebite and their natural history. Indian

Pharmacological Society, 1977A note on sea turtles of Madras. Indian Forester 103:11, Nov 1977Preliminary survey of the saltwater crocodile C.porosus in the Andaman Islands, JBNHS, April 1978Review of crocodile management options and practices in Asia, 5th Meeting

CSG/SSC/IUCN, 1980Status and biology of crocodiles in Papua New Guinea. FAO and Wildlife Division, Field Document No.1, FAO/UNDP Project PNG/74/079 Port Moresby, May 1980The crocodile industry in Papua New Guinea: commercial aspects (with Meisy Kemp). FAO and Wildlife Division, Field Document No.2, FAO/UNDP Project PNG/74/079 Port Moresby, January 1981

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Crocodile farming and management in Mozambique. FAO/MOZ/76/007. 1981

The management of rodent-eating reptiles in Bangladesh to reduce food losses (with T.Hikida). FAO Project, PFL/BGD/001, Dacca 1981Export prospects from commercial crocodile farms, Bangladesh.

ITC/UNCTAD, Geneva, June 1982Crocodiles in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, Hamadryad 7(1) January 1982

The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus): a review (with D.Basu), J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 79(3) 1983

Sea turtle resources in the Andamans (with S.Bhaskar), CMFRI Bulletin (34) Cochin, September 1983

Irula Tribal Cooperative (with Z.Whitaker), Cultural Survival Quarterly 11(1) 1983

Crocodiles as a resource for the tropics (contributor), National Academy Press, USA, 1983

Recovery and management programmes for sea turtles in India: Newsletter of CMFRI, February 1984

The role of reptiles in controlling food pests. All India Scientific Writer’s Society, Delhi, March 1984

Conservation and development in the Andaman Islands, Conservation of the Indian Heritage, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Cambridge, U.K., September 1984A preliminary survey of the crocodiles in Sabah, East Malaysia. WWF

Malaysia, July 1984The crocodile resources in Irian Jaya, Indonesia. USAID/WWF/WALHI

Report, Jayapura, May 1985Crocodile Management – India. Northern Territories Conservation

Commission, Darwin, January 1985Rational use of estuarine and marine reptiles. Marine Biological Association

of India, January 1985The Andaman tribes – victims of development. Cultural Survival Quarterly,

10:2, 1986The management of crocodiles in India. In: Wildlife management: Crocodiles and Alligators (Chapter 7). Surrey Beatty & Sons, Australia, July 1987Crocodile husbandry and management in Irian Jaya. FAO Consultancy

report, Jayapura, October 1988An investigation into the effects of siltation, logging, blasting and other human derived damage to corals in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. (with S. Soundarajan) Interim report to NORAD, 1989Status of research and conservation of freshwater turtles and land tortoises in India (with I.Das) IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Group Newsletter (4) 1989Coral reef surveys in India (with Mohideen Wafar). 7th International coral reef

symposium, 1993Population status of the Indian python (Python molurus). Herpetological

Natural History 1(1) 1993 Preliminary observations on the Andaman teal (Anas gibberifrons albogularis) in Andaman Islands Report to the Asian Wetland Bureau, Kuala Lumpur 1994

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Snake capture and venom extraction in Tamil Nadu . In: Assessing the sustainability of uses of wild species. Robert and Christine Prescott-Allen (editors) Occasional Paper of the IUCN/SSC No. 12, 1996A Bibliography of the King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) Smithsonian Herp

Information Service 1996Captive Husbandry of the King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah).

Herpetological Review, 2005Sustainable Use of the Lake Chamo Nile Crocodile Population (with Nikhil Whitaker). Project Document, African Parks (Ethiopia), Nechsar National Park Project. Addis Ababa, 2007 Observations on burrows dug by Mugger Crocodiles in Bundala N.P., Sri

Lanka, JBNHS, 2008Observations on a wild King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), foraging and diet. IRCF June, 2010Application of radiotelemetry techniques in snake research: King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) in Agumbe, Karnataka, India. In ENVIS, Wildlife Institute of India, January, 2010

POPULAR NATURAL HISTORY PUBLICATIONS (Over 200 in magazines, newspapers, journals)

BOOKSCommon Indian Snakes –A Field Guide, National Book Trust, 1978, 2001 (in all

major Indian languages)Reptiles of Papua New Guinea (with Z. Whitaker) Wildlife Division, Port

Moresby. 1982The Snakes Around Us (with Z. Whitaker) National Book Trust, 1986 (in all

major Indian languages)Endangered Andamans. ESG/WWF-India, MAB India, Department of

Environment, New Delhi 1987World of Turtles and Crocodiles (with I.Das and Z.Whitaker). National Book

Trust, 1995. Lizards of India (with I.Das) National Book Trust, New Delhi 1997 (in all major

Indian languages)Crocodile Fever – Wildlife Adventures in New Guinea (with Z.Whitaker), Orient

Blackswan Limited, 1998Snakes of India – The Field Guide (with Ashok Captain). Draco Books,

Chengalpattu. 2004

DOCUMENTARY FILMS Since embarking on the sub-career of film-making in 1985, aimed at reaching

more people, Rom has made and helped make about 30 16mm film and hi-definition video documentary films, sometimes as Producer, Director and/or Presenter, for National Geographic Television, Nature/WNET, Animal Planet, Discovery, BBC Natural World, and Indian television channels mostly on reptiles but with interesting diversions into the worlds of rats, monkeys and leopards. The films have won several awards including an Emmy for his National Geographic film “King Cobra” in 1997 and in 2002 a Wildscreen Golden Panda for Best Presenter-led Program for “Snake Hunter-North America”.

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Rom also made a children’s feature film in Tamil, Hindi and English in 1990 called “The Boy and the Crocodile” which was screened worldwide at children’s film festivals and on a Christmas Eve telecast for Scandinavian Television, Stockholm, Sweden in 1991. The message? Giving reptiles a reputation boost, of course. It won the 1989 UNICEF Award for Best Feature Film from the International Centre for Children and Young People and Golden Elephant at the 6th International Children’s Film Festival in New Delhi.

TALKS, LECTURESRom has delivered several hundred talks and lecture/demonstrations around the world at venues ranging from grammar schools to audiences at universities, natural history and specialist symposia, TED conferences, Indian government venues and others.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH and CONSERVATIONOver the past 50 years Rom has collaborated with scientists, educationists and conservationists from India and abroad on a wide range of seminal projects including snakebite mitigation, radio telemetry studies on the gharial and king cobra, snake venom production and rodent control by tribal people, breeding biology/temperature sex determination in crocodilians, breeding biology of pythons and king cobras, field surveys to determine conservation status of reptiles and popularizing conservation biology through writings, talks and films.

ROMULUS WHITAKER - INDIA’S REPTILE MAN

Rom and milk snake, 1947 Bill Haast, Serpentarium, 1964 Captive bred gharial, 1990

Romulus Whitaker, was born in the USA, but grew up in India from 1951 with his Swedish-American mother and Indian step-father. After high school he returned to the US for a bit of university education in the 1960s, two years in the US Army, shipping out as a merchant marine, and training with Bill Haast at the Miami Serpentarium. In 1967, he came back to India to pursue his passion: reptiles. He set up India’s first reptile park (Madras Snake Park) in 1969, scraping the funds together with great difficulty. It was an uphill battle as he faced a lot of adversity championing animals low on the popularity scale. Rom conducted India’s first surveys of crocodilians. When his surveys determined the dire plight of all three species, Rom started the famous Madras Crocodile Bank, now with its three field research and conservation stations on the Chambal river, the Agumbe rainforest, and the Andaman islands. Deeply committed to landscape conservation, besides helping determine sites for crocodile reserves, Rom helped establish four iconic Protected

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Areas: Silent Valley National Park, Guindy National Park, Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, and the Great Nicobar Island Biosphere Reserve.All those who know Rom’s work agree that his ability to implement environmental projects is considerable. “Rom Whitaker is passionate about conservation and he is an intrepid fieldworker,” says S. Theodore Baskaran, Honorary Wildlife Warden and former Postmaster General of Tamil Nadu State; “As an institution-builder, Rom is unfazed by any hurdle he might face in his work (including almost dying of scrub typhus last year).

Whitaker puts his trust not just in his own skills, but also in the aspirations of younger generations”. As he says: “We are doing a lot of work with young people, bringing them to the forest and showing them what happens here and why it matters. It can be very difficult to change adult attitudes, but with the young, it is easier to get across the knowledge that what we are doing to the forests we are doing to ourselves.” His current obsession is with water. India is facing an impending crisis and forest integrity is the need of the hour, is his view.Romulus Earl Whitaker seems an unlikely name for an Indian citizen. But the combination of a foreign name, Viking looks inherited from his Swedish

ROM WITH CROCODILE FARMERS IN WEST PAPUAmother, an unexpected fluency in local Indian dialects plus a thoroughly irreverent attitude has marked this American-born Indian citizen as a highly unconventional yet effective and respected conservationist in a country far from his birthplace in New York. Whatever his ancestry and skills, his drive comes from a boundless enthusiasm for the wonders of nature, and a determination to save them. “It is fascination with the endless natural mysteries, questions on why critters do what they do, and empathy and sympathy in the face of the destruction all around,” he explains from his base in the hot southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. “I haven’t had to do a nine-to-five job ever in my life, and that is a very envious situation to be in if you love the wild. Life has been much like a river in that it picks you up and carries you along. I get into things as they come towards me.” That’s how Romulus Whitaker, reptile and amphibian specialist, conservationist and filmmaker sums up his long, eventful and illustrious career. He is full of zest for life, ready to take on new challenges in protecting India’s forests and wildlife. This seemingly relaxed attitude belies the original thinking, and careful and considered planning behind his many projects for wildlife, forests, and the people living in them. Rom lives on a farm near the Croc Bank with his wife, Janaki Lenin, writer, publisher and film-maker.www.draco-india.com

MADRAS SNAKE PARK and REPTILE RESEARCH CENTRE India didn’t quite know what hit it when an American expatriate living in Madras (now called Chennai), South India’s biggest metropolis, was suddenly given a precious acre of an urban jungle known as Guindy Deer Park, to establish the country’s first snake park! The young hippie had a winning smile and a convincing argument: the people of the ‘Land of Snakes’ need to see and learn about these much-maligned yet fascinating creatures. The Madras Snake Park was officially opened in 1972 after a three year struggle to find the financial backing

and secure government permissions. While the fledgling World Wildlife Fund chipped in the first donation, Rom sold all his belongings, except his precious motorcycle, to get his dream idea started up. Friends too supported this strange vision. Within a year the Madras Snake Park received extensive press and TV coverage and a million visitors. One of them was Indira Gandhi, India’s Prime Minister, who went away with a new appreciation of snakes, lizards, crocodiles and turtles, which she later acted

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upon! During the ‘70s and ‘80s, the Snake Park was the place where like-minded people, dedicated to wildlife study and conservation got together and planned surveys of endangered species and habitats, chalked out and implemented conservation strategies, came up with artsy, filmy and oratorical schemes to popularize India’s over 400 species of scaly creatures: the reptiles. The spinoffs of the Madras Snake Park, still one of Chennai city’s top attractions, are multitudinous, ranging from much imitated snake parks in other cities to the start of India’s crocodile, sea turtle and freshwater turtle conservation movements. Many wildlife biologist’s careers were spawned at the Madras Snake Park! www.cspt.inSEA TURTLE CONSERVATION – THE BEGINNING

In 1972, Rom started the first sea turtle walks on India’s coasts. Volunteers traipsed for miles each night during the laying season, beating the egg poachers to the nests. The eggs were then transplanted to a protected hatchery for successful hatching. This activity persists to this day and the turtles keep coming to the same beaches to nest. Rom initiated turtle surveys in India’s Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar islands, the latter has one of the most important rookeries for leatherback turtles in the world. A key member of Rom’s team was Satish Bhaskar, a pioneer field biologist who walked thousands of kilometres on foot, mapping turtle species and nesting sites along most of India’s beaches, both mainland and island. In the mid 1980s when the slaughter of

olive ridley sea turtles was rampant, one of Rom’s students, J.Vijaya, took dramatic photos of the massacre which then appeared in a national news magazine. The resultant furor instigated the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, to clamp down on killing sea turtles, which holds to this day.

MADRAS CROCODILE BANK and CENTRE FOR HERPETOLOGY Rom started the Croc Bank in 1976 in a desperate effort to save India’s dwindling crocodilian populations (his initial survey results showed that crocs were on their way out). Starting with a mere dozen crocodiles, Rom and his colleagues ended up with close to 3,000 crocodiles, alligators and gharial of 18 different species. As the world’s largest international research base and gene bank for crocodilians, it expanded its activities to include field stations that promote cutting edge research, continue its ground-breaking conservation and species recovery activities, and educate school children and people sharing habitats with endangered species. The Croc Bank sees over half a million visitors per year, making it one of the most popular tourist attractions along India’s acclaimed East Coast Road. Ticket sales fund the maintenance of the zoo, and also support operation of the three full-scale research and conservation field stations plus numerous research projects. Today, the 37-year-old Croc Bank is one of the largest reptile zoos in the world, and one of the oldest environmental organizations in Asia with a formidable track record in frontline conservation. www.madrascrocodilebank.org

THE GHARIAL – BACK FROM THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION The gharial is one of the world’s most magnificent creatures. This unique, 20 foot, 2000 lb, fish-eating crocodile evolved with the dinosaurs, and its 150 million year reign in rivers throughout the world, from Spain to Japan, made it one of the most successful species the planet has ever seen. However in the early 1970s, when Rom carried out the first gharial surveys in the bandit-infested, harsh

Ridley sea turtle slaughter, Digha Beach, West Bengal, 1984

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landscape of the Chambal Valley, the species was on the edge of extinction. These surveys galvanized the Government of India to create a national conservation program, Project Crocodile, with support from the United Nations Development Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Six river sanctuaries were created for the gharial and Rom was an active participant in the new move to save India’s crocodilians, setting up a breeding farm, and field research projects.

One of Rom’s team was the late Dhruva Basu who supervised the collection and hatching of over 5,000 gharial eggs for the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department. After the initial burst of enthusiasm, the government did little more than release captive-reared animals for 30 years. The plight of the gharial remains dire. Its numbers had decreased to around 200 breeding adults in only four rivers in India and Nepal and declared extinct in Bangladesh and Bhutan. In September 2007, Rom and colleagues reassessed the gharial as “Critically Endangered” using the IUCN’s Red List criteria, as the gharial is now one small step away from extinction in the wild. That year, he also rejuvenated the Gharial Conservation Alliance, a collaboration of American, European and Indian zoos and supporters, to save the gharial. Rom then appealed to Jairam Ramesh, the Indian Minister for Environment and Forests, to use his position to back gharial conservation. On December 27, 2010, during a visit to the Madras Crocodile Bank, the Minister announced the formation of a National Tri-State Chambal Sanctuary Management and Coordination Committee for gharial conservation. The National Chambal Sanctuary is spread over on 1,000 m2 in the three states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The Minister pledged Rs.50 million to 80 million (USD 1 million to 1.7 million) each year for five years. With an ex-situ captive breeding program at the Madras Crocodile Bank and in-situ conservation and continuing research activities of the Gharial Conservation Alliance on the Chambal, Rom is again hopeful for the gharial’s future. www.gharialconservation.orgAlthough reptiles are his obvious passion, Rom also focuses on ecosystems. In 1971, when a hydroelectric project threatened to inundate a spectacular rainforest in the Western Ghats of Kerala State, he alerted the nation to its importance. A ten-year-long strong socio-environmental movement followed against the dam that culminated in granting National Park status to Silent Valley. Rom also set up research and conservation field stations in two challenging geographic areas: Andaman Islands and the wet rainforests of the Western Ghats.

ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS ENVIRONMENTAL TEAM - CENTRE FOR ISLAND ECOLOGY After first visiting the Andaman Islands in 1975, Rom fell in love with this remarkable archipelago of endemics and uncontacted tribes, and started the first environmental non-profit organization there. Today ANET has up to 30 researchers and students working on projects ranging from crocodiles, sea turtles and fishery livelihoods to coral reefs, rainforests and public education. ANET works with the Wildlife Department, research and conservation organizations such as Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore (dugongs/sea grasses/coral reefs, tribal livelihood), Ashoka Trust for Ecology and Environment, Bangalore (island ecology), Dakshin Foundation, Bangalore (sea

turtles and mangrove research), Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun (herpetofauna), Salim Ali Center for Ornithology and Nature (edible nest swiftlet, Narcondam hornbill projects), Indian Institute of Science (fisheries and livelihoods). Partnering with India’s leading diving operation, Lacadives, provides ANET with the means to conduct marine research/conservation and promote ocean awareness and education programs. ANET has a Memorandum of Understanding with the top research organization the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore. Now, 15 graduate students of wildlife biology come to ANET each year for a marine science course and become certified divers. Without a field station like ANET providing a place to stay, boats for travel, field assistants to enable research, staff to get permits, conducting marine and island ecology research would have had a much slower start. ANET also conducts programs for local school and college

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students who would otherwise receive little information about their island environment. Today Rom is proud of his dynamic team who happily endure hardships to be part of this island dreamland. www.anetindia.org

AGUMBE RAINFOREST – BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT AND WORLD HERITAGE SITE In 2005, Rom set up the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station in the beautiful, but rain-soaked and leech-infested dense forests of Karnataka State in South India to carry out studies and initiate conservation work on all aspects of rainforest ecology and the species living within. Starting with a telemetry study on king cobras, the ecology and behaviour of flying lizards, and phenology of a rainforest plot, ARRS is now in the process of setting up a Rainforest Interpretation Center for the public. ARRS has a dynamic team of young wildlife researchers and educators and collaborates with scientists from India’s premier biological research organization, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore with whom they have a formal MoU.

At Agumbe, where Rom found his first king cobra back in 1971, the annual rainfall of up to 400 inches condemns outsiders not just to swarms of leeches and permanently wet clothes and tents, but also to guaranteed malfunction of all equipment used for recording, communicating, and calculating. To this end, the Agumbe field station provides living and working quarters purpose-built to function during the monsoon. It is entirely off-grid and self-sufficient on renewable solar-hydro energy. It is strategically located on about 10 acres of land adjacent to a Wildlife Sanctuary and a National Park so that field scientists have easy access to the forest. The base has hosted dozens of Indian students, researchers and naturalists. But the station’s mission extends beyond science. Like ANET, the base in the Andaman Islands, ARRS is a springboard for local conservation, including the sustainable use of minor forest produce and medicinal plants for the livelihood of local people. The station has educated thousands of local school children about the forest. “Children are a bit shaky about going into the forest at first, but fascination with what we show them soon gets them hooked,” Rom says. Undampened by the heavy rain and teeming leeches, Rom cannot emphasize enough the importance of the region’s rainforests for water resources. “The rainforests of India are the origin of all the major rivers in the south and the north-east,” he points out. “The rivers in the Western Ghats [in India’s south] provide the water for 350 to 400 million people, about a third of India’s population.” www.agumberainforest.org

KING COBRA - FLAGSHIP SPECIES OF THE INDIAN RAINFOREST The king cobra is the world’s largest venomous snake, growing to 18 feet. Feared and revered in India, the species faces danger from habitat loss (over 80% of its rainforest habitat has already been destroyed) and because it is often killed out of fear when encountered. Rom Whitaker’s long fascination with the species resulted in a project which combines research, public education to unravel secrets of its biology, and a plan for its conservation, including building people’s tolerance.

Rom invited Matt Goode, an ophiologist from the University of Arizona, to join him in his ambitious king cobra study. With a decade of snake telemetry work under his belt, Matt jumped right into the rigors of working in the rainforest with the world’s largest venomous snake. The first king cobra they tracked was a

translocated 12 foot long male who travelled an amazing 60 miles during the first few months. Rom and Matt concluded from the study that capture and translocation of

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snakes (the standard approach to dealing with ‘nuisance’ snakes that wander into people’s houses or gardens) can be extremely harmful to the snake as they tend to home back, crossing roads and getting into other dangerous situations. Over 120 adult king cobras were captured from people’s homes and 15 king cobra nests were found and monitored during the study period. The work goes on and the king cobra has now become the most studied snake of the more than 275 species found in India. Rom’s work with the charismatic king cobra has focussed public attention on the jungles he grew up in and loves: India’s much threatened rainforests. Conservation of ecosystems and species isn’t the only focus of Rom’s career. His innovative efforts to improve the livelihoods of people dependent on wild species and habitats from New Guinea to Ethiopia are also legendary.IRULA TRIBAL SNAKE-CATCHERS – BEST IN THE WORLD Ever since his first meeting with the Irula tribe of Tamil Nadu in South India, Rom has considered them his peer group; these people are skilled at finding and handling snakes like no others in the world. In 1975, hundreds of Irula families were rendered jobless with the closure of the destructive snakeskin industry which nearly drove several species to extinction. While this was a landmark conservation measure, for the Irulas it was a disaster. In 1934 Malcolm Smith wrote in his Introduction to Volume II of ‘Fauna of British India’ that 5,250,000 reptile skins were exported from India in 1932 and 1933. Virtually nothing was done for the next forty years to stem the trade in reptile skins. In the late 1960’s snakeskin exports peaked at an estimated 10 million skins per year. That is when Rom Whitaker became involved in the movement to halt India’s unsustainable snakeskin industry. It ceased in 1975. But Rom also felt responsible for his Irula friends. Together they hatched an idea that has had enormous success. Rom transferred venom extraction knowledge and technology he had learned from Bill Haast at the Miami Serpentarium to the Irula tribals, set up the Irula Snake-catchers Cooperative Society and turned it over to the tribal community in 1978.

Snakes are caught by the Irulas, milked and then released back to the wild after a month. The Irula Cooperative is the only organization allowed to make legal use of wild animals in India, benefitting one of its poorest communities, and saving tens of thousands of human and snake lives. The Society now supplies most of the venom needed to make the over two million vials of antivenom used to treat snakebite in India each year (the latest estimate from the Registrar General of India’s ‘Million Death Study’ is an incredible 46,000 snakebite deaths per year in the country!). Rom always felt slightly awkward promoting snake conservation in a land faced with such a massive snakebite problem. Rom himself has survived several venomous bites in the course of his work, and for someone so passionate about snakes, it is ironic and unfortunate, that he is allergic to anti-venom. On the happy side, the Society is one of the only tribal cooperatives with millions of rupees in the bank.

Another project Rom initiated with the Irulas, was biological rodent control. In a few short months, doing a government funded pilot project, Irulas caught a quarter of a million rats by hand and excavated close to five tons of stored grain from their holes. Rom has spent several years working with tribal communities in Papua New Guinea, West Papua, Sabah (East Malaysia), Bangladesh, Mozambique and Ethiopia on crocodile farming.

IRULA TRIBAL WOMEN’S SOCIETY – WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT In 1985, Rom Whitaker was co-founder of the Irula Tribal Women’s Welfare Society which initially concentrated on afforestation projects and now, in addition, works for the empowerment of tribal women in his home state of Tamil Nadu. The ITWWS’ social and environmental projects have earned several awards, Indian and international. The social campaigns initiated by its staff and members have brought official and public attention to issues such as forced labour, literacy, violence against women, and deforestation. The school drop-out rate for Irula children is now almost zero, and there are 16 literacy centers, several Irula herbal product outlets,

and regular training programs on issues related to empowerment. But to Rom, the most important achievement of the ITWWS is one that is more difficult to see; in fact it is invisible to all except those who have worked alongside the Irulas since the beginning. In the past, an Irula woman would shudder at the sight of a traffic

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policeman. Today, she knocks on the door of the District Administrator, and demands an explanation for dire official apathy related to land rights, or discrimination, or widows’ pensions, a demonstration of individual and community empowerment. www.itwwsindia.comPRESS HIGHLIGHTSPEOPLE MAGAZINE, MARCH 13, 1978“Reptile expert, Rom Whitaker, who faces death daily in India thinks that most conservation programs are, well, a croc. Every reptile must pay its way, including his beloved crocodiles.”NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL, MARCH 20, 1990“The Irula Tribal Cooperative was organized on the initiative of American born herpetologist Romulus Whitaker in 1981. The Irulas still hunt snakes, for venom, which they sell to medical institutions.”THE INDEPENDENT, BOMBAY, OCTOBER 29, 1991‘Gardeners of Eden’ – “India has led Asia into the era of wildlife conservation but has fallen behind in the management of valuable wildlife resources. Protection is not enough, says Rom Whitaker. Wildlife needs to be made economically dynamic.”THE VIVARIUM, NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER, 1993“Romulus Whitaker was one of the most charismatic individuals to ever speak to the New York Herpetological Society. He is the acknowledged expert on Indian herpetology which he describes with rare enthusiasm and charm.” Roy Pinney, President, New York Herpetological SocietyNEW YORK TIMES, FEBRUARY 3, 1998“The Madras Crocodile Bank and Rom Whitaker have been one of the principal centers of crocodile research and conservation-related activities in India” Dr. John Thorbjarnarson, Conservation Zoologist, Wildlife Conservation SocietyTIME MAGAZINE, AUGUST 17 1998“Whitaker is a maverick among conservationists. He claims that traditional methods of conservation have failed to save the tiger, the elephant and other endangered species from being killed off. Giving would be poachers a stake in keeping these animals alive may be the answer” Tim McKirk, Bureau ChiefTHE SPEAKING TREE (TIMES OF INDIA), AUGUST 8, 2010“Humans are not comfortable with creatures they know little about and if there is one thing those of us who like reptiles (and all wild creatures) can do to help them it’s to get people to know and appreciate them. Hence came about the Madras Snake Park, Madras Crocodile Bank and the films, books and articles that I’ve been putting out over the years” says Romulus Whitaker.TED CONFERENCE INDIA, NOVEMBER, 2009 “"The real danger lurking in the water" is a direct reminder that the actual danger is what we as humans are detrimentally doing, or have done to too many precious waterways. Romulus Whitaker measures harm done to indicator wildlife to bring this point home.” www.ted.com/talks/romulus_whitaker_the_real_danger_lurking_in_the_waterOUTLOOK TRAVELLER, OCTOBER 2010“Herpetologist, naturalist and conservationist, Rom Whitaker has devoted a lifetime to reptiles. As evidence there is a trail of sterling institutions that serve wildlife conservation, a solid body of wildlife films, books and writings, contributions to wildlife management and pioneering field research.”

PERSONAL TESTIMONIALS (for project support): “I have known Romulus Whitaker since the late 1960s, and greatly admired his work. He has devoted his life to the study and conservation of reptiles, and in the process has become the most eminent and best-known herpetologist in South Asia. His dedication to the preservation and breeding of crocodilians and snakes has had a major impact not only on the scientific management of various species but also on improving public perception about these maligned animals.I was therefore greatly pleased to note that Romulus Whitaker has turned his attention to king cobras in the wild, a species whose natural history still remains little known. Especially noteworthy is his effort to protect a large forest tract, using these remarkably beautiful snakes as a flagship to save many other species as well, both plants and animals. He has assembled a team of Indian scientists to assist with the research, plans to train

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students, will help communities, cooperate with government departments, raise widespread awareness, and in other ways involve the people in the area. This will help to assure the long-term survival of the forest and its inhabitants.” Dr. George B. SchallerVice President, Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, October 28, 2003

“I have known of Rom Whitaker’s work on snakes and other reptiles since I developed my own interest in snakes, snake bites and snake venoms in the 1970s. I have corresponded with him for many years and have had the chance to meet him for discussions and collaborations. Rom Whitaker has an extraordinary record of experience and achievement in the study, conservation, public display and husbandry of crocodiles and snakes. His also possesses the rare ability to generate public interest in the protection of these traditionally-feared animals, through education and media productions. He has successfully enlisted the enthusiastic support of the local community, resolving the difficulty of matching economic benefit with the restrictions to access and hunting inherent in most conservation efforts. An impressive example is his establishment and continuing support of the Irula Snake-catchers Cooperative. Rom Whitaker’s achievements have been recognized by several prestigious awards for conservation. He is responsible for many significant original publications on herpetology, several books of educational value and, most recently, the best ever comprehensive field guide to the snakes of India. He has made a series of award-winning, highly informative and absolutely memorable documentary films on reptiles.Among herpetologists, he has become identified with the king cobra, the world’s most spectacular venomous animal, and is generally recognised as an expert on all aspects of its biology and as its leading champion as a subject for conservation.Rom Whitaker has amply demonstrated his ability to instigate, develop, coordinate and lead large community based conservation programmes. His high profile and reputation in the Indian nature conservation movement ensures the collaboration of other local, national and international organisations including Government. His links with relevant groups, institutions and other bodies active in the field is unrivalled.” Dr. David A. Warrell, FRCPE FMedSci, Emeritus Professor, Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK November 19, 2004

AWARDS 1977 ROTARY CLUB – MADRAS SOUTH – DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD “In recognition of the pioneering and dedicated work in the field of ecology, preservation of wildlife and in particular of snakes and other reptiles”1984 ROLEX AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE “For breaking new ground with the project “Establishment of a snake venom production industry for Irula tribals in South India”1985 WWF INTERNATIONAL – AWARD FOR CONSERVATION MERIT “In recognition of his dedication in promoting the conservation of snakes, crocodiles and other reptilians in India and for his outstanding work in education”1985 ORDER OF THE GOLDEN ARK – THE NETHERLANDS “For his outstanding work in the conservation of snakes, crocodiles and turtles, and in particular for his achievement in founding and directing the Madras Snake Park”1986 ROTARY CLUB OF MADRAS - VOCATIONAL SERVICE AWARD “The protection of snakes, crocodiles and wildlife in general and thereby ecology is the passion of his life”1988 SIR PETER SCOTT AWARD – IUCN SURVIVAL SERVICE COMMISSION“For reptile conservation in India”2000 ROTARY CLUB OF CHENNAI TOWERS - VOCATION EXCELLENCE AWARD“In recognition of over 35 years in spreading environmental awareness”2005 SHELL/BBC/NEWSWEEK – WORLD CHALLENGE FINALIST “In 1978 wildlife expert Romulus Whitaker encouraged the Irulas to catch snakes again, not for skins this time, but for their venom, leaving the snakes unharmed”

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2006 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA – DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT AWARD“In special recognition of your significant and life-long contributions as a prominent leader promoting wildlife conservation in concert with sustainable economic development for aboriginal peoples in India, as a tireless and successful scientist, conservationist and film maker who promotes knowledge and wildlife habitat protection worldwide and as an exemplary educator and prolific author”2006 SANCTUARY-ASIA/ABN-AMRO – LIFETIME SERVICE AWARD “A truly inspirational individual, Whitaker’s entire life has been spent protecting wild species and their habitats”2008 ROTARY CLUB OF CHENNAI, INDIA, FOR THE SAKE OF HONOUR AWARD “Rotary International’s most valued award is given to Romulus Whitaker for his contribution to the upliftment of the Irula tribe”2008 ROLEX AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE – “For seeking to break new ground with the project ‘Establish rainforest research stations across India’2009 BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY – SALIM ALI AWARD FOR NATURE CONSERVATION “We are aware of the debt we and future generations owe to him for striving to protect nature and natural resources for the generations to come”2010 1ST NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TOXINS AND SNAKEBITE MANAGEMENT - LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD2010 MARGARET EDDY DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD – KODAIKANAL INT’L SCHOOL “Romulus Whitaker (Class of 1960), in recognition of his exemplary contributions in the fields of environmental conservation and herpetology”

INSTITUTIONS AFFILIATED with MADRAS CROCODILE BANK AND ITS FIELD STATIONS (Committees/Membership/Collaboration/Consultation/Networking/Support)

1. World Conservation Union (IUCN), Switzerland2. IUCN/SSC Crocodile Specialist Group, Australia3. IUCN/SSC Freshwater Turtles and Tortoise Specialist Group, USA4. IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group, USA5. IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, UK6. IUCN/SSC Sustainable Use of Wild Species Group, UK7. Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India8. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Rome, Italy9. World Congress of Herpetology, USA10. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)- India & International11. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India12. Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India13. Centre for Environment Education, Ahmedabad, India14. Chicago Herpetological Society, USA15. Fauna and Flora International, Darwin Initiative, UK16. Development Alternatives, New Delhi, India17. Irula Tribal Women’s Welfare Society, Chennai, India18. Irula Snake Catchers’ Cooperative Society, Chennai, India19. International Gecko Society, USA20. International Association of Zoo Educators, UK21. Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, New Delhi, India22. Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust, UK23. Wildlife Preservation Trust International, USA24. Niligiri Wildlife Association, Ootacamand, India25. Central Zoo Authority of India, New Delhi, India26. Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology & Natural History, Coimbatore27. Anna University, Chennai, India28. Madras Veterinary College, Chennai, India29. Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, India30. Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, India31. Andaman & Nicobar Islands State Wildlife Board, Port Blair, India

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32. Andaman & Nicobar Islands State Environmental Council, India 33. Andamans Science Association, Port Blair, India34. Society for the Andaman & Nicobar Ecology, Port Blair, India35. Auroville Index Seminum, Tamil Nadu, India36. Ashoka Innovators for the Public, New Delhi, India37. Kalpavriksh, Pune, India38. Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi, India39. Coral Reef Monitoring Network- South East Asia, Sri Lanka40. Survival International, UK41. Trust for Environmental Education, Chennai, India42. Zoo Outreach Organisation, Coimbatore, India43. Indian Peoples Tribunal on Environment &Human Rights, India44. The Wildlife Trust of India, New Delhi, India45. Smithsonian Institution, USA46. Marine Conservation Society, U K.47. American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, USA48. Zoological Society of London, UK49. US Fish and Wildlife Service, USA50. Prague Zoo, Czech Republic51. Danish Crocodile Zoo, Denmark52. Protivin Krocodile Zoo, Prague, Czech Republic53. National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, India54. Dakshin Foundation. Bangalore, India55. Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, India56. Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India57. San Diego Zoological Society, USA58. Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, USA59. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, USA60. Tomistoma Task Force, USA61. Mabuwaya Foundation, Philippines62. Gladys Porter Zoo, USA63. Riverbanks Zoo, USA64. UNEP/Conservation for Migratory Species of Wild Animals,

Germany65. Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, New

Delhi, India66. Edisto Island Serpentarium, South Carolina, USA67. Miami Serpentarium Laboratories, USA68. Calcutta Zoo, Chennai Anna Zoo, Ahmedabad Zoo, Delhi Zoo,

Hyderabad Zoo, Lucknow Zoo69. Samut Prakarn Crocodile Farm, Thailand70. Prague Zoo, Czech Republic71. Turtle Survival Alliance, USA72. Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Norway/India73. Conservation International, USA74. National Geographic Society-Committee for Research and Exploration, USA75. Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, USA76. Indo-German Social Service Society, India77. Australian Agency for International Development, Australia/India78. Royal Netherlands Embassy, India 79. British Council, UK/India80. Canadian International Development Agency, Canada/India81. Chennai Snake Park, India82. Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), USA

SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATORS (past and present): Carl Gans (U. of Michigan); William E. Haast (Miami Serpentarium, USA); Van Wallach (Harvard U., USA); George Archibald, (International Crane Foundation, USA); John Constable (Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, USA); Jeff Lang (U. of Minnesota); Ed Moll (Eastern Illinois U.); Harvey Lillywhite (U. of Florida);

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Bruce Young (U. of Massachusetts); Aaron Bauer (Villanova U.); Peter Pritchard (Chelonian Research Institute); Jack Frazier (Smithsonian); Andy Ross (Smithsonian); George Zug (Smithsonian); John Thorbjarnarson (U. of Florida); James Perran Ross (U. of Florida); Wayne F. King (U. of Florida); Brady Barr (NGTV, USA); Sherman Minton (Indiana U.); Gopalkrishna Gandhi (Statesman, India); Firoz Ahmed (Aaranyak, India); B.Vijayraghavan (Madras Snake Park, India); Salim Ali, J.C. Daniel, Asad Rahmani (BNHS, India); Lalji Singh (CCMB, India); David Warrell (U. of Oxford, UK); Alistair Reid, David Theakston (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK); Garth Underwood, Colin McCarthy, David Gower (British Museum of Natural History); Wolfgang Wuster (Bangor U., Wales); Jennifer Daltry (FFI, UK); Mark O’Shea (Reptile World, UK); Indraneil Das (U. of Malaysia, Sarawak);; Rohan Pethiyagoda (WHT, Sri Lanka); Grahame Webb (Chairman, CSG); Adam Britton (Charles Darwin U.); Robert Bustard (FAO/UNDP); Antoon de Vos (FAO/UNDP); Patrick David (Paris Museum); Donald Broadley (Herpetologist, Zimbabwe), T. Hikida (Kyoto U.); Yoshio Sawai (Japan Snake Institute).