Who was Jim Corbett?

Who was Jim Corbett and why is he still revered in the part of Uttarakhand known as India’s lake district?

In the early 1900s, villages in this largely mountainous and forested northern state of India lived in fear of man-eating tigers. Thousands of people were killed in the first half of the 20th century by wild cats. One animal alone, known as the Champawat Tiger, ravished over 400 locals. Jim Corbett was a self-taught tracker and hunter who had grown up in the hills and woods around Nainital. Son of a postmaster, he developed a deep bond with his surrounding environment as a boy. He became known as an expert slayer of dangerous animals. But he would only hunt down a tiger if it was a proven killer, and even then he remained sympathetic to the creatures.

Both Indians and the British colonial authorities would often write to Corbett, pleading his help to rid an area of a man-eating tiger or leopard. And Corbett would usually respond.

Jim Corbett killed more than 30 tigers and leopards in his lifetime, saving the lives of many more people. He wrote a book about his adventures, Man-eaters of Kumaon, and the oldest national park in India – which he helped set up – was named after him. Jim Corbett National Park is one of the few places you can see the endangered Bengal tiger. 

If you love adventure, wildlife or the environment, and you’re keen to explore Corbett country, there’s only one place to base yourself: 

"Jim Corbett was a pioneer conservationist and lectured at local schools and societies to stimulate awareness of the natural beauty surrounding local people and the need to conserve forests and their wildlife. He helped create the Association for the Preservation of Game in the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh), and the All-India Conference for the Preservation of Wild Life. He also established India’s first national park, which was inaugurated in 1934 in the Kumaon Hills. He also had a deep affection for the people of the Kumaon Hills, and was loved by many in the region. He is considered by some in the Kumoan region as a sadhu."

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