THE HINDU (Chennai, India) 18 September 07 Crocodile Bank to procure green anacondas
Chennai (PTI): Animal lovers need not go to the Amazon to watch green anacondas, as the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT) is planning to procure the reptile under an international exchange programme.
As many as four adult green anacondas, with an average length of four metres, were being brought for the first time in India from Danish Crocodile Exhibition in Denmark, curator of the MCBT Nikhil Whitaker told PTI.
The Bank would exchange marsh crocodiles, critically endangered gharials and African slender snouted crocodiles for the anacondas.
"The formalities for the exchange are going on," Whitaker said.
"We are in the process of setting up facilities including natural habitat for the anacondas."
As part of its efforts to give due importance to the exhibition potential of the Bank, along with education and research, the Bank was also engaged in talks with some conservation and breeding centres to procure Komodo Dragons.
"The dragons and anacondas are crowd-pullers, especially in the backdrop of the Hollywood flick 'Anaconda' and the public would be much enthused to watch them in real," he said.
The Bank would also get as many as 21 spotted pond turtles from Hongkong within six months.
Crocodile Bank to procure green anacondas