The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology (or Croc Bank) was the brain child of Romulus Whitaker and Zai Whitaker along with a handful of like-minded conservation visionaries who began work on the facility in 1976, in a desperate effort to save India’s dwindling crocodilian populations. Today, after close to half a century of cutting edge science and grassroots education, the Croc Bank remains a world leader in the field of frontline conservation and the preservation of natural landscapes.

The Croc Bank currently consists of a large reptile park near Chennai, Southern India, and several field projects located throughout the subcontinent. The zoo sees close to half a million visitors per year making it one of the most popular tourist attractions along Chennai's famous East Coast Road.