Probe on against King Cobra station

Following a directive from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Karnataka Forest Department is carrying out a probe into allegations against a King Cobra Research Station

Following a directive from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Karnataka Forest Department is carrying out a probe into allegations against a King Cobra Research Station, set up by renowned herpetologist Romulus Whitaker. The MOEF directive comes after MP Maneka Gandhi wrote a letter asking for truth on allegations of misuse of funds and export of snake venom from the research station.

The Forest Department had suspended its permission for research at the station in Karnataka’s peak rainfall region nearly two months ago. However, Mila Tago, Deputy Conservator of Forests for the Shimoga region, has not yet submitted his probe report.

Research at the station, located in the rainforests of the Western Ghats, is intended to understand snake biology and conserve biodiversity of the region with the King Cobra as the focus species. Whitaker set up the centre at Agumbe, where he is said to have seen his first King Cobra, with the 30,000 pounds he received with the 2005 Whitley Award, the highest prize for conservation in the United Kingdom.

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The withdrawal of permission has forced researchers working at the center, including some from abroad, to return home. The office of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and the office of the Shimoga DCF said investigations were continuing into the allegations and no time-frame had been fixed on its completion. Whitaker, who could not be contacted this week on account of a field trip near Nagercoil, on hearing of the withdrawal of permission had called it “knee-jerk and infantile”.

Gerrard Martin, a Bangalore-based herpetologist and National Geographic adventurer associated with Whitaker for over a decade, said the accusations were the result of complaints made by a disgruntled former employee of Whitaker. “No official charges have been brought against Rom. This is all baseless. He is using his own funds from his award for the research so where is the question of misuse, and snake venom in most cases is easily available anywhere. This is the man who set up the Chennai Snake Park and the Crocodile Bank.

THE SNAKE MAN

ROMULUS WHITAKER: The 61-year-old is the founder of the three-decade old Snake Park in Chennai and the Crocodile Bank in Chennai. The Irula Cooperative Society, set up by him for a tribal community of snake catchers, is known to be one of the foremost reptile researchers in the world. He has been based in India for over five decades. As part of his conservation strategy for crocodiles in India, Whitaker proposed new ideas like crocodile farming. His ideas have, however, found no takers in the Government.

KING COBRA RESEARCH STATION: The Agumbe research station aims to study the King Cobra’s nesting behaviour, breeding biology and conservation through telemetric tracking. Since starting the five-year research project at Agumbe, Whitaker has shuttled between Chennai and the Western Ghats.