The Trust

The Chennai Snake Park Trust is a not-for-profit NGO constituted in 1972, primarily on the initiative of the well-known herpetologist, Romulus Whitaker.  Six of the trustees are elected and five are ex officio.

Names of Trustees

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees is also the Chief Executive. The office is honorary.  He is supported by Director. Dy. Director Research, Dy. Director Education and Training and Office staffs. Under them are the full-time officers (Director, Dy. Director-cum-Research Scientist and Dy. Director-cum-Education Officer), animal keepers, office staff and other employees.

Elected Ex-officio
Dr.S.Paulraj, I.F.S. (Retd.)
Executive Chairman		 Wildlife Warden, Chennai, Govt. of Tamil Nadu
Dr.V. Kalaiarasan Nominee Dy. Director, Tourism Dept. Govt. of Tamil Nadu
Dr.K.Senthilkumar Nominee Zoological Survey of India, Southern Region office, Chennai
Dr. T. Sundaramoorthy Regional Deputy Director,Wildlife Crime control Bureau (SR), Govt. of India, Chennai
Dr.K.Vijay Venkatesh Nominee, Dept. of Zoology, University of Madras, Chennai
Mr. K.Sivagnanam  

Objectives

  1. To maintain and display a captive collection of snakes and other reptiles as a means of eliciting public interest in them and prompting the public to empathize with them
  2. To promote knowledge among the public on reptiles and amphibians and dispel the widespread erroneous beliefs about snakes in particular and, to this end, conduct awareness programs targeting school children primarily and bring out low-priced publications with technical, semi-technical and popular contents on reptiles and amphibians
  3. To aid and assist research on reptiles and amphibians including the conduct of surveys to assess their status and distribution
  4. To undertake captive breeding of endangered species of snakes and other reptiles
  5. To canvass public support for the protection and conservation of reptiles and amphibians.
  6. To promote conservation of the native fauna and flora through Education and Research.