The Corbett National Park is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas and is spread over the districts of Nainital and Garhwal in the State of Uttaranchal, located in northern India. The national park covers an area of 521 sq kms, with an area of 312.86 sq kms falling in Garhwal district, and the balance 208.14 sq kms in Nainital district. It was established on August 8th, 1936 and is the oldest national park of the Indian subcontinent. Corbett National Park plays an important role in the conservation of Indian Wildlife.
An important event in the history of Garhwal was the Gorkha invasion. In 1803 the Gorkhas mounted their invasion, and by 1804 they had become the masters of Garhwal. Before this they had already captured Kumaon, in which the present Nainital district is located. They ruled this area for the next twelve years before the British drove them out in 1815. The British now occupied Kumaon and Garhwal. In the year 1839 an English businessman Mr P.Barron while hunting in the hills of Kumaon got lost and while finding there way back chanced on the lake around which present day Naini Tal, a popular hill-station, exists. In 1862, Naini Tal became the summer seat of the North Western Provinces, and became an important centre of education for the British, who wanted to educate their children away from the discomforts of the plains. In the same year, Edward James (Jim) Corbett's father became postmaster of Naini Tal.
As Naini Tal was (and still is) extremely cold in winter with deep snow, the Corbett's would during this period move down to the plains below and stay at a place called Kaladhungi. Jim Corbett was born on July 25th, 1875 and spent most of his formative years exploring the wilderness that lay around. This led to developing a deep knowledge of the forests and its inhabitants. The result was a naturalist who could read the signs of the forest and predict the movement of wildlife. Corbett's in-depth knowledge of Indian Wildlife would stand him in good stead in later years.
Corbett National Park is named after Jim Corbett and to understand why a post-
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independence India choose to rename its first national park after an Englishman, ..Click here.
Corbett Tiger Reserve has an area of 1318.54 sq km, which consists of 520.82 sq km of core area and 797.72 sq km of buffer area. The core area 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).
The elevations in the Park range from 1312 feet (400 meters) to 3970 feet (1210 meters). Most of the Park lies in the Outer-Himalayan or Shiwalik region. The Shiwaliks are lower than the Lesser Himalayas, and are crumbly and unstable because they are formed out of sedimentary rocks. They form the largest ridge across the park. Between the Himalayan and Shiwalik mountain ranges lie elongated valleys called Duns. Patli Dun is one such dun through which flows the Ramganga, the only source of perennial water.
The Ramganga River is the lifeline of Corbett Tiger Reserve. It is a rain-fed river originating in the Lesser Himalayas at a place 100 kms away from Corbett. It then flows for a distance of approximately 40 kms through the park. At a place called Kalagarh this river has been dammed, and the resultant reservoir is about 80 sq kms with half of it in Corbett National Park, and the other half in Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary. Its main tributaries in the national park are the Mandal, Palain and Sonandi. Numerous mountainous streams flow into these rivers. After leaving Kalagarh the river flows for another 300 kms through the Indo-Gangetic plains before emptying into the Ganges.
The ridges form small valleys having pockets of evergreen shrubs and glades, providing secluded niches for wild animals to hunt and breed. The topography is varied with hilly areas, riverine habitat, marshes, deep ravines and flat plateaux. The chaurs or the grasslands is limited with only 10 % of the Reserve under grass cover. With the relocation of villages from Dhara, Jhirna and Kothirau the former fields are being developed into grasslands through habitat manipulation.
The southern boundary of Corbett flanks the ecologically important terai - bhabar region. The bhabar tract consists mainly of gravel and boulders, while the terai contains many springs and streams. This region is home to endangered Indian wildlife and a vital habitat for birds.
Fires are a perennial problem, commonly occurring from early March until the start of the monsoon sometime in June. In 1876 - 77 a network of fire-lines was created which helped. When Project Tiger was launched a radio network and fire-fighting squads were established, and the result is that while fires still happen in summer, it is brought under control quickly preventing any serious damage. The last major fire was in 1999. Every year at the onset of summer, the authorities resort to controlled burning in order to eliminate the accumulation of inflammable material on the forest floors. The grasslands are also burnt to allow fresh growth, which is beneficial for the herbivores.
While there are no human settlements in the main park, 19 villages exist in the buffer zone and around 200 villages all around the reserve. There is no grazing in Corbett National Park, while Sonanadi Sanctuary has a few Gujjar families with their cattle.
Cattle lifting by tiger and leopard take place. Earlier the villages would try and kill these cats by poisoning the cattle kill carcasses. Now NGOs like Corbett Foundation (www.corbettfoundation.org) have programmes where compensation is paid to the aggrieved villager once it is confirmed that his cattle has been killed by a tiger or leopard.
Dynamiting and illicit netting of fish in the Ramganga is a major problem.
A special mention must be made of the avifauna found out here which is very interesting, because of the overlap between the high altitude and plains, and the eastern and western races of a number of species. As the park is situated on a migratory route, it is visited by the passage migrants. It also attracts a large number of migratory birds, with the Ramganga river attracting species that migrate vertically up (in summer) and down the Himalaya (in winter). The Zoological Survey of India has recorded over 585 species of resident and migratory birds here. Lesser Fish Eagle, Cinereous Vulture, Pallas's Fish Eagle, Tawny Fish and Spotbellied Eagle Owl, Grey Slaty Woodpecker, Wallcreeper, Hodgson's Bushchat, Bright-headed Cisticola, Rosy Minivet, White tailed Rubythroat are just some of the species that are regularly seen in and around the park. A complete checklist can be seen here. More..
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