JIM CORBETT NATIONAL PARK

Corbett National Park situated in the foothills of the Himalayas, in the newly created state of Uttarakhand is haven for wildlife lovers in India. The present area of the Corbett national park is 1318.54 sq. km. including 520 sq. km. of core area of and 797.72 sq. km. of buffer area. The core area of the Corbett tiger reserve forms the Corbett National Park while the buffer contains reserve forests (496.54 sq.km.) as well as the Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary (301.18 sq.km.) Flat valleys are interspersed with hilly ridges and the Park's rolling grasslands provide an excellent view of its rich eco system. Corbett National Park is one of India's most beautiful wildlife areas has a tiger population of around 160, which makes this park as the last and the most important bastion of this endangered species in India.

Jim Corbett (hunter)

Edward James "Jim" Corbett (25 July 1875 in Nainital, India 19 April 1955 in Nyeri, Kenya) was a British hunter, turned conservationist, author and naturalist, famous for hunting wild animals in India.
Corbett held the rank of colonel in the British Indian Army and was frequently called upon by the government of the United Provinces, now the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, to kill man-eating tigers and leopards that were harassing people in the nearby villages of the garhwal and Kumaon region. His hunting successes earned him a long-held respect and fame amongst the people residing in the villages of Kumaon. Some even claim that he was considered to be a saint by the locals.

JIM CORBETT (25JULY 187519APRPIL 1955)

Jungle Lore, and other books recounting his hunts and experiences, which enjoyed much critical acclaim and commercial success. Later on in life, Corbett spoke out for the need to protect India's wildlife from extermination and played a key role in creating a national reserve for the endangered Bengal tiger by using his influence to persuade the provincial government to establish it. The national park was renamed Jim Corbett National Park in his honour after his death in 1957.

HABITATS AND ECOSYSTEM

A mixture of habitats present at Jim Corbett National park is the home to a large species of mammals, birds and reptiles. Its richness of flora & fauna is clearly visible when one travels to Jim Corbett National Park. One gets to see how the different forms of life have formed a perfect ecosystem at Corbett National Park.
MOUNTAINS

Mountains are different from other landforms because they have an unusual variation in altitude, relief, temperature, slope and the amount of sunlight received. Therefore, there is great diversity in mountain habitats and mountain plant and animal communities have unique characteristics. However, mountain ecosystems are also delicate and unstable. Owing to the thinness of soil and the high propensity to erosion deforestation degrades mountains much swiftly and more irreversibly than other areas.

SAL TREES
Sal (Shorea rubusta) is a handsome tree that grows up to 35 m tall and has a majestic, shining foliage. Sal is the main tree species of Corbett and often grows as dense forest. Sal forests represent tropical monsoon type of climate that occur in areas with 100-200 cm rainfall annually and grow at 200-1200 m above sea level. These sal forests forms an important wildlife habitat throughout northern and central India. Being tall and robust sal trees allow several layers of vegetation to grow under or alongside them. Hence the sal forest ecosystem has a wide variety of trees, shrubs, herbs, climbers, fungi, lichens and mosses. Naturally, the life of many mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians is linked to sal forests directly or indirectly for food or shelter.

BIJRANI TREES

Rivers and Streams

THE PARK PROFILE

IUCN Class : II State : Uttaranchal District : Nainital 165.76 Sq. Km. Pauri, Garhwal 355.06 Sq. Km. Area : Corbett National Park 520.82 Sq. Km. Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary 301.18 Sq. Km. Reserve Forest 466.32 Sq. Km. Total : 1288.32. Sq. Km. Year of Notification : 1935-36 Location : In the Himalayan foothills (Bhabar tract) in Nainital & Pauri Garhwal districts of Uttaranchal State Special Status Topography Altitude Longitude Latitude Climate : : : : : : 1st Tiger Reserve, 1st National Park of India. Shivalik foot hills. 400 mg - 1200 mt. 78033'E-78046'E. 29013'N-29035'N. Temp. in 0C) Max. Min. Nov.-Feb. 250 - 300 40 - 80 Mar.-Apr. 350 - 400 90 - 130 May-Jun. 440 - 460 190 - 220 Summers (March to June) are warm. During monsoon (June-October) the park remains closed. Winter (Nov. to Feb.) is the best time to pay a visit to the park with cool to moderately cold temperatures.

FAUNA
THE TIGER
The tiger (Panthera tigris) is perhaps the most celebrated of the wild animals of India. It symbolises the power of Nature and finds an important place in our culture, mythology and legends. It has been worshiped as the guardian and ruler of the forest. The tiger has always had a close association Corbett National Park earlier through the writings of Jim Corbett and other shikaris and later because of the launch of Project Tiger, Indias tiger conservation programme, initiated from the Parks soil on 1st April 1973. The tiger is an indicator of a healthy wilderness ecosystem. If the tiger is protected, our forests will also live. And forests mean good air and plenty of freshwater, both of which affect our own survival

The elephant, largest of the land mammals, has been an integral part of the history, mythology, tradition, culture and religion of India. Asian elephants live in a variety of habitats. They prefer a combination of grassland, shrubbery, and forest. Corbett Tiger Reserve has about 700 Asian elephants. They are part of the migratory population that also lives in Rajaji National Park. Earlier, there were much fewer elephants in Corbett but their population in the park has increased significantly in recent decades. Although, present throughout the Park, elephants are most easily sighted in Dhikala chaur, Phulai chaur, and near the Saddle Dam.

The Asian Elephant

FAUNA
LEOPARD
The Leopard (Panthera pardus) is the other large cat found in Corbett. Compared to the tiger leopards are smaller, more graceful and have a long agile body that has rosettes instead of stripes. It also has the ability to limb trees. Leopards are quite versatile, adaptable to a variety of terrains as well as to a broad range of prey that includes everything from insects and

rodents up to large ungulates.

Chital

Spotted deer is the commonest of deer species of Corbett. It is also the most beautiful, with characteristic white spots on its reddishbrown body. Chital are ecologically important because they form an important prey base for carnivores like leopards and tigers. They also help in dispersal of plant seeds including grasses and also tree and shrub species like amla, ber, etc.