Whitaker Zai (Ed.)

Zai Whitaker is the managing trustee of the zoo and conservation centre, the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology, which she co-founded in 1976. Her interest in wildlife and conservation began in childhood, as she grew up in a family of naturalists, including the ‘Birdman of India’, Salim Ali. She has written twenty books, including Andamans Boy, Kali and the Rat Snake and the latest, Termite Fry.
She has also taught English at a school in Kodaikanal and has been the principal of two schools. Apart from awards for her writing, she has also received the Peter Scott Award for Conservation.
Zai lives in Chennai with her son Nikhil, who is the curator of the Croc Bank.