About Corbett National Park

 

Corbett National Park, India's first and the finest wildlife reserve is located at an altitude of 600 to 1100 meters in the foothills of the western Himalayas in the Nainital, Pauri Garhwal and Bijnore districts of Uttaranchal. Founded in 1936, the then Hailey National Park was named after Governor Sir Malcolm Haily. For some time it was also named as Ramganga National Park after India's independence in 1947. Finally it was renamed as Jim Corbett National Park in 1956 in honour of the famous hunter turned wildlife conservationist and naturalist Jim Corbett.

 

It was one among the nine chosen tiger reserves for Project Tiger, a wildlife conservation project started in India with the help of World Wildlife Fund in 1972 primarily with the objective of protecting the critically endangered Bengal Tigers and its habitat. On 1st April, 1973 Project Tiger was launched and Corbett boasts of being the first natural habitat of the majestic predator.Today it is counted as one of the most congested parks having a ratio of 1tiger to every 5 acres.Equally famous for its huge wildlife population of elephants, leopards and several other species.

 

Surrounded by perennial rivers like Ramganga and Kosi and its tributaries responsible for its rich biogeographical diversity, the majestic park covering an area of 1318.54sq. km that includes 520sq. km of core area consisting the National Park and 797.72 sq. km of buffer area comprising reserve forests, the Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary and prime grassland is a popular eco-tourism destination.

 

The most suitable destination for wildlife enthusiasts, photographers and die-hard naturalists, Corbett bewitches the visitors with its enigmatic jungle ambience where the animal scent, scrabbling of lizards on tree bark, earthy air, pug marks and many such fascinating sights enhance the beauty of exploring the jungle world.Blessed with diverse variety of flora and fauna due to its location in the foothills of Himalayas, this beautiful park offers rare species of mamals, birds and plants.

 

Corbett is not simply a wildlife reserve. This huge natural habitat comprising of 110 species of trees, 51 species of shrubs, 27 species of climbers, 37 species of grasses and bamboos, over 50 mammals, 580 resident & migratory birds and 25 reptile species is one of the finest examples of healthy ecosystem that showcases ideal food chain and sends a strong message that for the proper functioning of an ideal ecosystem, natural resources like river, forest, plants and animals need to be protected.