Romulus Earl Whitaker III (b. 1943) is unquestionably one of the best-known figures in the wildlife conservation scene in India. He is famous for establishing the Madras Snake Park, the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and the Andaman and Nicobar Environmental Team, as well as for his work conserving India’s rainforests—the habitat of so many endangered species.
Internationally, he has received the Rolex Award for Enterprise as well as the Whitley Award for his contribution to nature conservation. In 2018 he was awarded the Padma Shri. Whitaker has co-authored Snakes of India: The Field Guide with Ashok Captain, which is considered the definitive work on the subject.
