 HISTORY: 
MAIN
ENTRANCE
| ZOOLOGICAL
GARDEN
CONSERVATION CENTER AND LABORATORY.
ADDRESS: P.O.: Badu, Dist.:
24 Pgs (N).
West Bengal, India, PIN: 700128.
Phone: (033) 2526 3741.
City Office: 31, Hindustan Park, Kolkata,
Pin: 700 029.
Phone: (033) 2463
2425, 9831404379 (mob),
(033) 4008 5967.
 :
dipak_snake_park@hotmail.com | Calcutta
Snake Park was established on 2nd October 1977. It was inaugurated
by Mr. Parimal Mitra (Honorable Minister of Forest, Govt. of West Bengal)
and Mr. Ram Chatterjee (Honorable Minister of Civil Defense, Govt. of West
Bengal) who was the chief guest. | BACK
GARDEN | 
OFFICE
AND GUEST HOUSE | Calcutta
Snake Park was founded by Mr. Dipak Mitra. Being a young wildlife enthusiast
with a special affinity towards reptiles he was maintaining 4-5 boxes of snakes
in his garden of his ancestral home in Badu. Snakes were wildly feared
all over the country as being potential human killers. Although Hindu religion
and culture paid high respect to snakes yet the terrifying stories of snakes hunting
down people to kill them have corrupted their reputation. Snakes other than those
exhibited by snake-charmers were killed at first sight. Also snakes and other
reptiles were hunted down by people to support the leather and other industries.
India was rich in reptiles but poaching and habitat loss has decimated their population.
It was under these adverse circumstances that Mitra felt the need to do something
for conservation of these beasts. The local people being curious used to regularly
visit with their guest to the garden to see Mitra's collection of serpents. Feeling
disturbed, Mitra blocked the entrance to his garden with a bamboo gate and surrounded
the perimeter with bamboo fencing.
Although, this prevented people to
cause frenzy for a while but at last curiosity got the better out of them.
They started requesting Mitra to exhibit the snakes to them and their guests.
Thus further few boxes were made and a few more snakes were kept. But interested
people kept coming in and causing disturbances. Hence to avoid people Mitra started
charging 19 p from each visitor as entry fees. This plan was supposed to keep
people away but instead people kept pouring in to see the snakes.
Thus
seeing people's interest on snakes Mitra constructed one snake pit and few more
boxes under a thatched hut shed. To keep up with the expenses the entry fees
were gradually increased to 25p and then to 50p. Then another small
snake pit was constructed.
Consequently, Mitra received a permit from
the forest department to keep snakes and other animals. This laid the foundation
based on which the garden was converted to Calcutta Snake Park officially.
From then on, Calcutta Snake Park has developed into a major zoological
facility in India. At that time the park contained two snake pits and one
lizard pit. | 
PYTHON | 
SNAKES
PIT |
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