Camp Forktail Creek - History of Corbett

Corbett Tiger Reserve - History

Corbett Tiger Reserve is India’s first and one of her finest Tiger Reserves. Named after the hunter and

conservationist Jim Corbett who played a key role in its establishment, the Park covers an area of 1318.54

square kilometers and includes within it Corbett National Park (520.82 square kilometers), Sonanadi Wildlife

Sanctuary(301.18 square kilometers) and Reserve Forest (496.54 square kilometers).

Nestling in the foothills of the mighty Himalayas, it lies mainly in the hilly districts of Nainital, Almora and

Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand. Three distinct topographic zones lie within it -- the hilly Shivaliks, Bhabar in

the Patlidun valley and the swampy Terai. These support an incredibly diverse range of wildlife. Corbett

Tiger Reserve is irrigated by three major rivers - Ramganga (flows from the North East and into the Dhikala

reservoir), Sonanadi (a tributary of the Ramgang that flows in from the northwest) and Palain (another

tributary of Ramganga that flows in from the north). Besides these, Mandal River flows in through the

northeast, forming a portion of the northeastern boundary and merging with the Ramganga River at

Domunda. The Kosi River forms the eastern boundary of the reserve but does not enter the park at any

point.

History

In the early 1800s, the huge forest belt we now know as Jim Corbett Park used to be the private property

to the rulers of the princely state of Tehri Garhwal. It was handed over to the British around 1820 in return

for the assistance provided during the Gurkha invasion.

The British recognized the huge commercial potential of timber and mercilessly felled Sal (Shorea robusta),

the dominant tree of the area. Healthy forests on the periphery of the forest were cleared to plant teak

(Tectona grandis) a precious hardwood, to fulfill the supply for Railway sleepers.

In 1858 the first step towards protection of these forests was initiated by Major Ramsey in the form of a

comprehensive plan wherein farming and cattle intrusion were banned in the lower Patlidun valley - today,

a large portion of Corbett Tiger Reserve. The Forest Department took control of the area and declared it a

Reserve Forest in 1879 under the Forest Act.

How Jim Corbett National Park finally came into being…

The possibility of creating a game sanctuary was proposed in the early 1900s by Michael Keen, an officer

with the Forest Department. But the then Governor of United Province, John Hewett, turned the proposal

down. More futile attempts were made in 1916 and 1917 by E.R. Stevens and Smythies, both Divisional

Forest Officer's of the area, but to no avail.

In 1934, Governor Malcolm Hailey supported the proposal, and the Reserve Forest was finally awarded the

status of a Sanctuary. Soon after, Governor Hailey and Sir Smythies proposed to upgrade it to National

Park. Finally, on August 6th 1936, the Hailey National Park (named after Governor Hailey) came into being

as India’s first National Park and the world's third, covering an area of about 325 square kilometers.

Post Independence in 1947, the park was renamed Ramganga National Park. However, when Jim Corbett -

the area’s charismatic protector, conservator and author, met his end in Nyeri, Kenya on 19th April 1955,

the park was renamed Jim Corbett National Park in his memory.

The Wildlife Protection Act was enacted in the year 1972 and on 1st April 1973, Corbett National Park was

one of the first national park to launch “Project Tiger” a government sponsored program for the

conservation of the Tiger and its habitat. In 1991, the area of the reserve was further increased with the

inclusion of the Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary.