Jim Corbett Biography 
Jim Corbett was a British hunter, tracker and conservationist, who worked in British India. He is best known for creating a national reserve for the endangered Bengal tiger, which is now named after him as Jim Corbett National Park. He was also a writer and naturalist, who was frequently called by British government to hunt a huge number of man-eating tigers and leopards in United Provinces of British India, now UP and Uttarakhand. He held the rank of colonel in the British Indian Army, and worked in United Provinces of undivided India during British rule. Corbett killed man eating animals which preyed on villages of the Garhwal and Kumaon regions. He has also written a few books about his hunting experiences in India, among which Man-Eaters of Kumaon and Jungle Lore made him famous.
Jim Corbett was born to Irish parents in Nainital, Uttarakhand, India in 1875. Christopher William Corbett and Mary Jane were his parents. He had 15 siblings. Initially Christopher Corbett worked in army, and when he was appointed as the hill town's postmaster he shifted to Nainital where he lived for many years. Jim Corbett was born here. He was only six when his father died of heart attack, and his elder brother took over the charge of postmaster. By that time, his mother became an influential figure in the high class European society in the hill town of India.
Jim was fascinated by the forests and wildlife around his home in Kaladhungi. He used to identify most animals and birds by their calls. By the age of 19, he quit studies and employed in railways. Later he worked a contractor for the trans-shipment of goods across the Ganges in Bihar. He gained recognition by tracking and hunting several man-eating tigers, thus saving hundreds of lives. Champawat Tiger was the first one which was responsible for 436 documented deaths in Nepal and the Kumaon area of India. Corbett preferred to hunt alone and on foot, and very often was assisted by his dog Robin. Corbett did not kill a tiger without confirmation of its killing people. Yet he killed Bachelor of Powalgarh, even though it never killed a human.
He started to record tigers on cine film using a camera he bought in the 1920s. He also took classes for school kids creating awareness about nature and the need to conserve forests and wildlife. He spent his final years in Kenya, where he was busy writing books. He died of heart attack in 1955 while finishing his 6th book.
Published: December 04, 2018
Updated: December 04, 2018
