STING IN THE TALE
Conservationist Romulus Whitaker showed tribals in Tamil Nadu how to make a living out of poison ………Pankaj Molekhi
FOR many, Romulus Earl Whitaker is to the king cobra what Jim Corbett is to the tiger. With over 30 years of work in rainforests tracking the most venomous reptile on earth, and a sling of prestigious awards in his kitty, Whitaker offers two basic rules for a conservationist: One, he will never hang up his boots; two, he will never be a rich man. On a visit to Delhi in association with the Rolex Award For Enterprise, Whitaker spoke to ET about his current projects and past achievements.
One man’s poison is another man’s survival kit. Nobody can probably say this with more confidence that Whitaker, who founded the Madras Snake Park in 1969 to rehabilitate the Irula tribals. These tribals had lost their means of livelihood after trading of snakes was banned under the Wildlife Protection Act. Whitaker engaged the tribals in a project to extract snake venom and sold it to pharmaceuticals making anti-venom drugs. The profits were managed through a cooperative under state supervision. In no time the tribals multiplied their earnings by dozens. However, Whitaker is modest about his work. “It would be unjust to say that I taught them how to do business. I just told them not to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. There are many valuable aspects of wildlife that I learnt and benefited from them and I feel deeply indebted.”
An unassuming man with flowing white hair and a voice that can charm more than a few snakes, Whitaker is hopeful about his current project to setup rainforest research stations across the Western Ghats. “This project doesn’t need a single-shot capital. The award money ($50,000) will be used for our initial expenses and thereon we shall generate funds as we gather more environmental data. The first of such stations has been set up in Agumbe, Karnataka where researchers have been steadily coming to study. They also pay a small sum of money during their stay at Agumbe. That has made the project sustainable and replicable.”
A normal day in Whitaker’s life could mean running errands in search of transmitter-fitted reptiles, noting down the movements; collating all such data; speaking to environmental enthusiasts or “sometimes merely trying to repair a broken antenna or water pipeline”. “The unpredictability is a pleasure in large humid surroundings, since a king cobra habitat is under a 100-km radius,” he says with a disarming smile. “You break new ground everyday. You learn from the habitat. You learn from nature. It can be scary at times in a jungle full of leeches and predators, but it’s also stimulating,” he says, adding with a wink, “Sometimes you begin to feel like a reptile yourself. Right now, in this cold Delhi weather, I feel like curling up on a warm rock and bathe in the sun.”
Asked about his acceptability of a people who worship snakes as divine and other such beliefs, Whitaker says he was surprised while the tribals knew so much about the venomous reptiles “mainstream” households in the vicinity had little useful information. “They will bring us milk on various days–buckets of them. Initially, we tried to reason with the folks about snakes not drinking milk. But when nothing worked, we let it be. Our project team had a feast of milk, curd and what have you. Bless those snakes.”
On a green planet being a fad for many socialites, Whitaker says, “Even being a fad does serve a purpose. This creates more awareness, and it can bring in financial help for some truly genuine causes. After all, environment issues are now being taught in school curriculum. The ‘fad’ has worked because it generates interest among youngsters.” At 66, has he ever thought of calling it a day in his professional life? “Oh, there is no retirement from this work. It is too much fun. There is so much to do.”
So, for a man who has been living with crocodiles and King Cobras, did he ever think of getting his life insured? Whitaker laughs it off. “No. Never thought of a life cover but, yes, there is a cheap medical cover that I once paid premium for in Bangalore. I never needed it.”
Romulus Whitaker