Corbett (Uttaranchal)

The Corbett Tiger reserve has quite a history. It is India's First National Park and one of the finest, notable for its individualistic scenic charm and magnificent submontane and riverine vistas, and also for its richly varied wildlife, still interestingly in the process of change, and the site of the launching of project Tiger.

Early this century its exceptional potential as a wildlife reserve was recognized and there were moves to have it officially declared a sanctuary, liberating it from the exploitation of its tree forests and human occupation of the riverside land. Finally, in 1936 it was set up as the first authentic national park of the country under the United Provinces National Parks Act.
Originally, it was named the Hailey National Parks Act after Sir Malcolm Hailey, the Governor of the united provinces, who took such a keen interest in its development as a preserve. After Independence it was renamed the Ramganga National Park, and later still the name was again changed to the Corbett National Park this last change, it should be noted, was not solely in commemoration of the late Jim Corbett, the famous slayer of man eaters in the sub Himalayan forests, but also in recognition of his services in determining the location and limits of the proposed national park before it was set up he had been consulted over this as an expert. Jim Corbett- hunter of man-eating Tigers, photographer, conservationist and author was born in Nainital of English and Irish parentage. A childhood spent around the Corbett winter home of Kaladhungi brought young Jim Corbett into close communion with nature, and to an instinctive understanding of jungle ways. After working on the railways, he joined the Indian army in 1917 at the age of forty; he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and saw action in Flanders at the head of the 70th Kumaon Company.

Known locally as "Carpet Sahib", a mispronunciation of his name, Jim Corbett was called upon time and time again to rid the hills of Kumaon of man eating Tigers and Leopards. Normally shy of human contact, such animals become man eaters when infirmity brought upon by old age or wounds renders them unable to hunt their usual prey many of those killed by Jim Corbett were found to have suppurating wounds caused by Porcupine quills embedded deep in their paws; Tigers always seem to fall for the Porcupine's simple defensive trick of walking backwards in line with its lethal quills.

One of Corbett's most memorable exploits was the killing of the Rudraprayag Leopard, which accounted for 125 human lives between 1918 and 1926, and was bold enough to steal its victims from the midst of human habitation; he also terminated the careers of the Chowgarh Tigress, the Talla Des and the Mohan man eaters.

Jim Corbett described his adventures in books such as my India, Jungle Lore and Man Eaters of Kumaon; Martin Booth's Carpet Sahib is an excellent biography of a remarkable man. Awarded the order of the British Empire in recognition of his lifelong work with nature, Jim Corbett was unhappy in post Independence India, and left to settle in East Africa.

On April 1, 1973, Project Tiger was inaugurated here. This ambitious project aims at saving and reviving the alarmingly dwindled Indian Tiger (Panthera Tigris Tigris) by setting up specially selected reserves of adequate area in which not only the Tiger but also all other animals and the wild flora, would be totally conserved, such total conservation with no selective bias, depending on the ability of nature of maintain its own balance, being much the best way to rehabilitate any animal, as part of a whole wildlife complex. In 1973 there were 8 such reserves under the project, and the Corbett Tiger Reserve was the first of these.

As in all other reserves of the project, here too the main part is constituted into a core area meant exclusively for the wild fauna and flora, where there is no human disturbance and around this core is the insulating buffer zone, in which a part is allotted to tourism. Prior to 1973 Dhikala had been developed to provide accommodation and facilities to see the wildlife, to visitors to the National Park; it is still the main centre of tourism.

In recent years the Ramganga multi purpose Hydroelectric Project's Dam at Kalagarh and the reservoir of this dam have had a marked influence on the Corbett national reserve. When the reservoir is filled to capacity, one tenth of the reserve is submerged, and while the area of the reserve so inundated naturally fluctuates with the seasons, the submersion is still there and has resulted in perceptible changes in the flora and fauna.

To some extent this is a depletive influence, for it is the low lying pasture land that has been submerged, but this depletion is more than offset by the variety of plants and animals that the water spread has added to the original wildlife of the reserve, particularly in the sudden influx of vast numbers of water birds and the raptorial birds that follow in the wake of migratory waterfowl.

Places of Interest

HedgeHog
The only Hedgehog recorded here is the long eared Hedgehog, occasionally found near Bijrani in dry scrub. Two shrews are seen occasionally near human habitations, one of which is the familiar 'Chuchindar' or Common Musk Shrew. Eight kind of Bats been listed, among them the Flying Fox or Giant Fruit Bat (Gadal Badur) which, being nocturnal, is not often seen. The Indian Pangolin 9Bajra Kit) is quite rare and reported only from Garjia.

The Northern Blacknaped Hare
Is quite common in the open scrub, but is out only early in the mornings, late in the evenings and by night and so seldom seen. The Northern Palm Squirrel (Ghilheri) is there near Bijrani. Apart from the Bandicoot and the Indian Gerbille and Indian Field Mouse there are half a dozen other rats and field mice, all nocturnal and so seldom seen.

The Indian Porcupine
Is also very much a creature of the night and so not often seen, but is quite a feature of the reserve; it lives in subterranean burrows, and has been much affected by the flooding of its homes by the water spread of the Ramnaganga; all predators are fond of this plump rodent, but its armour of barbed, backwardly directed quills and vigilance often save it.

Elephants
Wild Elephants in the reserve used to be seasonal visitors rather than residents, but with the construction of the dam and the submersion of their established routes a population seems to have turned resident. These Elephants wander all over the tree forests and frequently come on to the open clearings to graze or to get to the river to drink and bathe.

In spite of the cover readily available to them they do not, as a rule, retreat at once from human presence and may, on occasion, be aggressive; they are also given to pushing down and uprooting small trees wastefully when feeding in the forests. It has been said that they are restive and unsettled because, with their age old trek routes now blocked by the submersion of a part of the reserve, they feel insecure and confined. But their apprehensiveness is mainly due to too frequent disturbance by men.

However that might be, two things should always be kept in mind with regard to wild Elephants here; the difficulty of judging their size in the cast, open settings of the Corbett reserve, and the need to take care not to disturb or provoke them. The same elephant seen among trees close by the road seem much larger than when seen on open ground near water, because in the vast arena of the 'Chuars' size is hard to judge, and big as the elephant undoubtedly is, the foothills of the Himalayas providing the backdrop to the setting are bigger!

People in a van or other motor vehicle, or on elephant back are comparatively safe when encountering wild Elephants unexpectedly, but when on foot it is essential to avoid being too close to them. Do not be misled into a feeling of security by the peaceful indifference of grazing Elephants, seemingly unaware of your presence; unlike almost all other wild animals, Elephants at times attack without any previous signal of hostile intent and they can be incredibly swift in their movements, both upslope and down, they can cover ground much faster than a man can.

Antelopes and Deer
Except for the Nilgai reported only from Bijrani, there are no Antelopes in the reserve. Goral, which are Goat Antelopes, are not uncommon on the high ridges north of the Ramganga.

Chital
Chital and Para belonging to the same genus though very unlike in appearance are both features of the reserve. A large stag party seen on open ground at Dhikala or elsewhere presents a remarkable sight, a regular forest of antlers! In the recent past Chital have lost much ground here owing to the inundation of the 'Chuars', but they are among the most adaptable of Indian animals and no doubt will continue to be a major feature of the reserve; incidentally, they are dominantly Indian. In the vast spaciousness of the open Maidan their size may not be apparent, but they come as big here as they do anywhere else.

Para
The Para is also called the Hog Deer; from its supposed resemblance to a hog in its gait and carriage and in its thick bodied, low to ground build. It has been said that Para do not bound along as other deer do, and that in this it is Pig-like. It is true that it does not jump high in its getaway as the Muntjac usually do, but it can and does gallop, and in fact its gait and run are very much like that of a Deer. Para are both browsers and grazers and favour grassy clearings. They have been more affected by the inundation of such open ground than most other mammals here.

Sambar
Sambar in the reserve do attain a fair bodily size, but also like riverine scrub, and are not at all uncommon in the tree forests and along the streams of the river. The reason for the poor antlers of the stags seems to be mainly genetic and not environmental for Chital living in the same area and feeding on much the same vegetation has quite sizeable antlers. They may be commonly encountered in the reverine forests at Dhilkala during an elephant-back ride. At nightfall Sambar usually move up to some safe hilltop clearing to lie up and chew the cud, and the ease with which they can swarm up almost vertical banks on limber legs is astonishing.

Muntjac
The Muntjac is a diminutive Deer of tree forests, especially notable for its loud alarm call, its physical peculiarities, and its aliases. It is also called the Barking Deer and the rib faced Deer and sometimes in the south, the Jungle Sheep! It is small and usually solitary, and though a bright brown in colors, is not easily seen in the bush cover it keeps to. Its call, however, is unmistakable, strident and extraordinarily loud coming from such a small animal, a reiterated, hoarse long drawn bark, typically like the bark of a very large dog with a very bad sore throat, but differing in pitch and duration from individual to individual to some extent.

This alarm call is sounded at the least hint of danger, on becoming aware of the presence of a Tiger or a Leopard or even a man close by and is widely understood by all denizens of the forest as a reliable indication of danger in the offing.

Wild Pig
The Wild Pigs are found in the uneven terrain of the upper slopes of the Himalayan region, especially nearby Nullahs and shallow streams. They much fancy eating Tubers, Snouts and underground Fungi's, but they also like to eat meat when they can find it, tough they do not normally hunt for prey. Wild Pigs usually go about in small parties, or in regular sounders, and these are rather small in bodily size, but some quite enormous lone boars are also seen on occasion.

The Bird Life
Migratory Attractions White Pelicans, Great Crested Grebe, White-Horned & Greylag Geese, Barheaded Geese, Ducks, White & Black Stork, Brown-Headed Gull, Great Black-Headed And Lesser Black-Backed Gulls

Other Avifauna Large & Little Cormorant, The Indian Shag, Darter, The Grey & Pond Heron, Large, Medium & Little Egret, Spotbill, And The Large Pied Wagtail

Lying below the Himalayas on the route of migratory birds, and being so varied in terrain, vegetation, insect life and aquatic prey, Corbett Park has always been exceptionally rich in its avifauna, with some 500 species residing or sojourning in it. In recent years, with the formation of a large freshwater lake beneath the dam, there has been a notable and sudden influx of water birds and waterside birds, and nearly 600 species are listed in the survey conducted by the Zoological Survey of India team.

Water and Waterside Birds

The Rare Aves
Both migrants coming in mainly as winter visitors and resident species are among the water birds of the reserve, and in both these broad classes some are common and some quite rare, and only time can determine whether or not the species now known as "Rara Aves" at the lake and watersides will become much less uncommon, or even common, in a few years. For example, only a very few White or Rosy Pelicans have so far been seen here, but since elsewhere they arrive in numbers during the cold weather, they may well become regular winter visitors here also.

The Migratory Lot
Among the migrants that may be seen at the lake or along the streams should be mentioned the Great Crested Grebe, a few White-Fronted and Greylag Geese, and Bar-headed Geese in numbers, 15 or more kinds of Ducks, an occasional white stork and more commonly the black stork, a variety of plovers, sandpipers, snipe and similar birds, the Brown-headed Gull and more commonly the Great Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and a number of wagtails.

Common Residential Attractions
The following are common water birds that are not migratory but resident: all 3 kinds of cormorants such as large and little Cormorant and the Indian Shag, the Darter, the Grey Heron, the Pond Heron, all 3 kinds of Egrets - the large, the medium and the little Egret, the Cattle Egret, the white-necked and black-necked storks, the Spotbill, the large Pied Wagtail and occasionally a white-capped Redstart or River Chat - the Spur-winged Lapwing is quite a feature of the reaches of the Ramganga.

Birds of Prey
Migratory birds of prey come into India during the cold weather and some, such as the Osprey, may stay on right into April. Some of them come in the wake of the migratory Waterfowl, the Peregrine Falcon, for instance, which is also called the "Duck Hawk" in North America. Of course there are also quite a few resident waterside birds of prey, and other raptorial birds. These are the main hunters of the Chuars and woodland clearings; the black-winged Kite, the Indian Shikra (both resident), the Booted Hawk Eagle and the Steppe Eagle as uncommon winter visitors and along the wooded watersides the Crested Serpent Eagle, which is common, Pallas's (Ringtailed) Fishing Eagle and the Himalayan Grey-headed Fishing Eagle, and occasionally the lesser and greater Spotted Eagles (all more or less resident), and near the lake the Osprey as a winter visitor. Hawk eagles are to be found though not commonly, in the forests, as also the Crested Honey Buzzard and the Black Eagle. Harriers and Buzzards are birds of the open scrub. The vultures of the reserve include the impressively big Indian and Himalayan Griffon Vultures (the latter a rare winter visitor), the Himalayan long-billed Vulture, which nests in tall trees, such as the red silk cotton and the Indian white-backed vulture (these two are the common vultures of the reserve) the usually solitary Black Vulture and occasionally a Lesser White Scavenger Vulture.

Night Birds
The night hunters are the owls, the Nightjars and the Thick-Knees. No less than 18 kinds of owls are listed as occurring in the reserve, but except for the Spotted Owlet, none of them seems common; in riverside forests, Fish Owls may be seen, active even by day when it is not too sunny, and at night the yelping, regularly spaced calls of Scops Owls maybe heard.

Summer is the time of the Nightjars, and they are best told apart by their individualistic, reiterated calls, heard at nightfall and right through moonlit nights- the monotonous runs of 'chucks' of the jungle Nightjar and the unmistakable whiplash 'Sweesh' of Frankline's Nightjar, the last call is not regularly repeated and most often heard in the hour before dawn.

The Stone Curlew Haunts the riverside pebbly scrub, and so does its much larger cousin, the Great Stone Plover, the representatives of the thick knees here, birds with enormous eyes and dagger bills that lie low all day and come out by dim light and darkness to hunt insects, crustaceans, and other small fry.

WoodLand Birds
The varied tree forests, mixed Deciduous, stands of lofty Sal and stands of young Sheesham along the river, and the rich shrub growth on the forest floor provide a congenial setting for many woodland birds, Such As Green Pigeons, Parakeets, Cuckoos, Hornbills, Barbets And Woodpeckers, Orioles, Drongos, Pies, Babblers and Thrushes. Summer is the best season to look for these.

Cuckoos
The Rose-ringed and Blossom-headed parakeets in regular flocks and the Alexandrine or Large Indian Parakeet in smaller parties are fairly common - there are less common Parakeets. There are a number of Cuckoos, but the common species are the seasonal common Hawk Cuckoo or the 'Papiha' whose frenzied, reiterated calls are heard in summer.

The less insistent, far pleasanter, cadenced 'broken-pekoe' of the Indian Cuckoo (Cuculus Micropterus) also enlivens the forests then; both birds are highly arboreal and an inconspicuous grey brown, so that they are seldom seen though so often heard. The Coucal or Crow Pheasant is common on the outskirts of the tree forests; it is a Nonparasitic Cuckoo.

Hornbills
Two very large arboreal birds Pied Black and White, the Indian and the Great Pied Hornbills, may be seen in the mixed forests; the latter is the larger and distinguished from the former, even in a fleeting overhead view, by its white neck and the black sub terminal band across its white tail; the Indian Pied Hornbill has the neck black and the lateral feathers of its tail black. The much smaller Indian Grey Hornbill also occurs here.

Only the Coppersmith or crimson-breasted Barbet and the much larger Green Barbet are common here; both are much given to their monotonous calls reiterated in long runs, the Coppersmith's 'tonk, tonk, tonk' and the Green Barbet's 'kotrrr, kotrrr'. No less than 17 species of woodpeckers have been are present in the park, those commonly seen are the Little Scaly-bellied Green Woodpecker, the Black-naped Green Woodpecker and the beautiful Golden-backed Woodpecker.

Common Woodiers
The Golden and black-headed Orioles, and a number of Drongos are typical woodland birds- the king crow or Black Drongo is oftener seen in the open clearings. Tree Pies, Minivets, Woodshrikes, Babblers and a variety of Thrushes are among the other familiar woodland birds. The Magpie Robin, the Himalayan Whistling Thrush and the Black-throated Thrush should be specially mentioned here. Conspicuous among the Flycatchers is the Paradise Flycatcher.

Among the ground birds are the peafowl (quite common, but very shy of men, unusually so, in the reserve), the red Junglefowl (The ancestor of all domestic strains of poultry) and the White-Crested Kalij Pheasant, which is common in the Undershrub of Sal forests.

A great many birds, typical of open country, can be seen in the grassy clearings and Chuars. The resonant, challenging call of the black partridge, which is especially common, marks the commencement and the end of each day. Doves, Bee-eaters, Rollers, the Hoopoe, shrikes, larks, mynas bulbuls, warblers, and finches belong here.

The Ring Dove and the Spotted Dove are to be seen in numbers, perched on bushes or feeding on the ground; the little brown dove and the Red Turtle Dove are also there, but are much less common. The beautiful Little Emerald Dove is a bird of woodland clearings, but often seen on the banks of streams.

Besides the familiar Small Green Bee-Eater, The Chestnut-headed and Blue-tailed Bee Eaters are features of the open terrain, as also the Roller and occasionally, the Hoopoe.

One would expect Larks in grasslands and there are a few here, but the only one that is common is the Indian Crested Lark. The common Shrike of these open scrubs is the Rufous-backed Shrike.

The Greyheaded and common mynas dominate all others of their clan, assembling in hundreds; even in thousands, in the evenings to roost-such assemblies may be seen in summer outside the Mota Sal forest.

Nine species of bulbuls are also found over here, but the two that are frequently seen are the White-Cheeked and the Red-vented Bulbuls, in bush covered open country; the latter is especially common, as in most parts of India.

Except for the well-known Tailor Bird, and perhaps also the Ashy Wren Warbler, the vast clan of the Warblers is hard to tell apart in bush and grass. Some 40 species inhabit the park, quite a few of them migratory.

Robins, Chats and Redstarts are notable features of these tracts. The Bush Chat is especially common, a fluffy little bird poised on top of a grass culm or a thin twig with a patch of white above the tail and a neat white line across its wings displayed in flight, that flits effortlessly about from one perch to another, the male black and the female earth brown.

The Finches and Bayas (Weaver-Birds)
Are naturally very much there in the scrub and grasslands. Four kinds of Weaver Birds including Bayas, the Red Munia or Amadavat and the Spotted Munia, and an unmistakable Brownish Finch with a perky crest which is the crested bunting, merit special mention.

Though Swifts are more aerial than Swallows and Martins, and quite unrelated to them, since both these classes spend so much of their time on the wing, they may be mentioned together. The Indian Alpine Swift and the Himalayan White-rumped swift are features of the summer skies; they are among the larger swifts and fly at a dizzying speed. The white-rumped Spinetail and the house swift are also resident here and fairly common. The deciduous forests are notable for the crested swift.

The Dusky Crag Martin and Striated or Redrumped Swallows are familiar sights of the reserve, perched in hundreds on the electric lines. The Indian Cliff Swallow and the Wire-Tailed Swallow are summer visitors.

Excursion

Ramnagar
Situated in the rich farm belt of Terai, on the southeastern fringes of the great forests, the busy market town of Ramnagar is the main administrative centre for Corbett National Park and Project Tiger. Ramnagar makes a fishing base camp. At Lohachaur, 15-kms north along the River Kosi, good anglers are in with a chance of landing the legendary Mahseer, a redoubtable battling River Carp. Permits to have a go must be sought from the Project Tiger office in Ramnagar; most resorts also arrange all-inclusive fishing trips.

Wildlife Viewing
Chital, Sambar, and various other Deer species find refuge in the Savannah grasslands known as the Maidan, behind the campsite to the south, and Tigers are occasionally drawn in looking for prey. Two-hour elephant rides, explore this sea of grass, rarely penetrating far into the deep jungles beyond; try to convince your Mahout or Elephant driver to venture in, as they can be quite magical. Come at dusk or dawn; in the heat of the day you probably won’t come across much more than deer among the tall grass. Tiger-sightings are few and far between, but you may be rewarded with fresh pug marks.

NOTE: Bring binoculars, remain quiet, and don’t wear bright colours or strong perfumes.

How to get there

Road: Dhikala is connected by a road to Dhikala- Ramnagar and from there to other parts of the state. Other centers within the park are connected by fair-weather tracks.

Local Transport: Coaches and jeeps can be hired from the National Park office at Ramnagar. Elephants are available for wildlife viewing at Dhikala, khinanauli and Bijrani. Elephant rides conducted every morning and evening.

Air: Nearest airport is Pantnagar, 133kms.

Rail: Nearest railhead is Ramnagar, 50kms. from Dhikala.