‘Wildlife In and Around Corbett Tiger Reserve’: A photographic journey through India’s oldest national park

Mahesh Rangarajan

Updated At : 05:59 AM Nov 10, 2024 IST

Wildlife In and Around Corbett Tiger Reserve: A Photographic Guidebook by Rajesh Chaudhary & Vinesh Kumar. Niyogi Books.Pages 400. Rs 1,495

Jim Corbett, who died in 1955, is widely known for ‘Man-Eaters of Kumaon’, his bestseller published in 1944, which was translated early on into several Indian languages. What is not as widely known is that Corbett himself was an early defender of the wildlife of his beloved Kumaon. He was among those who helped persuade the United Provinces government to set up a national park in 1936.

The forests had been taken over by the British in the late 19th century and were ‘worked’ for timber. They were also divided into Shooting Blocks, where big game was hunted by officials and their guests. The actual pioneer of tiger and wild animal photography — given due credit in the book — was not Corbett, but the forester FW Champion.

The national park was Asia’s first such enclave, long after Yellowstone National Park in the US (1872) or South Africa’s Kruger (1926). After Independence, its name was changed from Hailey National Park (after the former Governor of the United Provinces) to Ramganga Park. However, Corbett was held in such high regard that it was renamed in his honour in 1957. It was here, appropriately enough, in Asia’s first-ever park that Project Tiger was launched in April 1973. The Reserve now spans nearly 1,300 sq km and is the jewel in the crown of not only India’s tiger reserves, but also the entire system of parks and sanctuaries in India.

This is a befitting tribute, not only for doing justice to the tiger, India’s national animal, and being host to plants, animals and birds, but also for documenting, with striking photographs and informative texts, the amphibians, reptiles and insects, as well as the flora of the Reserve. In doing so, it captures the richness and intricacy of the webs of life in the forest in a way accessible to all readers.

Corbett is home to 500 of the 1,300 bird species recorded in India, besides 500 of the country’s 1,300 species of butterflies. The 55 reptile species include the rare gavial or gharial found in the Ramganga reservoir area.

The authors place Corbett Tiger Reserve in the wider context of the Terai Arc Landscape that stretches across two nation states, Nepal and India, both having long cooperated on conservation. Tigers move across the park and administrative boundaries and this book records some tragic encounters for humans and animals alike.

This reviewer was also struck by the detail on different ranges and zones beyond the well-known and justly famous Dhikala chaur or grassland. This is all the more important as it will enable nature enthusiasts to visit lesser-known but equally-important locations, helping to ease the pressure of tourists at popular sites.

Even regular visitors to Corbett might, for instance, be unaware that serow sightings are possible in the Sonanadi zone and nilgai (blue bulls) and sloth bears in the Jhirna zone. The Reserve is much larger than the original 525 sq km national park and hence encompasses a greater spectrum of habitats and landscapes. This bears emphasis, as too much is made of tiger sightings and this has done immense damage to a more holistic appreciation of nature. Any visitor would love to see a tiger in the wild, but the tiger does not exist in isolation. A deeper appreciation of its world, and of nature in general, is what parks should aim at.

A word about the authors: Dr Chaudhary is a biologist and associate professor at Acharya Narendra Dev College, Delhi, and his co-author, Vinesh Kumar, is a nature enthusiast. The bulk of the photos is by the authors, with the others duly credited.

This book is a labour of love and serves as a fine introduction to the park. It is striking that in contrast to Ranthambhore, Kaziranga or Panna, there are few books on Corbett National Park or Tiger Reserve. Now, as India’s oldest national park gets its due, the readers will both enjoy and treasure the book.

— The writer is a historian