Jim Corbett National Park - The Tiger Country

The first wildlife reserve of India, the Jim Corbett National Park - also called the Corbett Tiger Reserve - is located in Uttarakhand, India. The Park has a total area of 1318 sq km and a core area of 520 sq km. In its buffer area the Jim Corbett National Park has the Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary.

Earlier called the Hailey National Park and later the Ramganga National Park, the Jim Corbett National Park, or the Corbett Tiger Reserve, is named after the famous conservationist and naturalist Jim Corbett who had shot many man eaters and also authored the "Man Eaters of Kumaon".

Jim Corbett's winter home is located just outside the Corbett Tiger Reserve at Kaladhungi around which the Chotta Haldwani village is situated. Jim Corbett's house now has been converted into a wonderful museum which is one of the many attractions of the area.

The successful "Project Tiger", to protect tigers and increase their population, was started at the Ramganga National Park in 1973. Presently, the national park has the highest density of tigers in India with one tiger every 10 sq km. No wonder, the Jim Corbett National Park is called the "Tiger Country".

Flat valley, hilly ridges and mixed deciduous forests characterize the landscapes through which the Ramganga River flows. The scenic river has rich populations of the Mahaseer Fish and Ghariyal (crocodile).

The Corbett Tiger Reserve offers many thrilling adventure activities that include, among others, fishing and angling, elephant safari, and jeep safari to its visitors. Elephant safari and jeep safari enable the visitors to explore the park and enjoy great views of the dense jungles and its many inhabitants.

Flora and Fauna

With 575 species of birds, 25 species of reptiles, 7 species of amphibians, 110 species of trees, 51 species of shrubs, 27 species of climbers, and 33 species of bamboo and grass, it is rich in flora and fauna.

Apart from the tigers for which the Jim Corbett is renowned the world over, the national park also has chital, elephant, jackal, wild pig, barking deer, sambar, common langur, and rhesus macaque. The tiger reserve is also a haven for the bird watchers and boasts of several species of the winged creatures that include, among others, sandpiper, woodpecker, kingfisher, peacock, jungle fowl, duck and stork.

How and when to visit

The Jim Corbett National Park is well connected and located 250 km away from Delhi. For the visitors, it remains open from November to June. The first three months (Nov-January is perfect for bird watching).

History of HUMPBACK MAHSEER

The mahseer, Queen of the River, is indeed royalty in the world of sports fishing. A fish that was capable of making an Englishman regard the "lordly salmon's sporting qualities as inferior, in comparison" is certainly high praise from Mr. H. S. Thomas in the year 1873 – the Isaac Walton of Indian angling literature.

In 1903 the term "Mighty Mahseer" appeared for the first time, incorporated in the title of a book on Angling in India by a man, who used the nom-de-plume "Skene Dhu" – but even generations before this, the mahseer found its place as a highly treasured game fish, because of its superb fighting qualities.

One of the first recorded biggies was caught in 1870, a fish of 110 lbs, caught on hand-line by G. P. Sanderson in the Kabini River, as tributary to the Kaveri River. The first mahseer to enter the book of records of fish caught on rod and reel, was caught in the Kaveri River near Srirangapatnam in 1906 by Mr. C. E. Murray Aynsley. This mahseer weighed 104 lbs, and a commemorative stone was reportedly erected on the bank of the river, where the fish was landed.

In the following 40 years, up to 1947, more than 10 fish over 100 lbs were recorded from the Kabini-Kaveri system. One of the most famous catches was by Major J. S. Rivett-Carnac in 1919 in the Kaveri River, with a mahseer weighing 119 lbs. This fish headed the record list for more than 25 years, until J. Dewet van Ingen beat it by only 1 lb. 120 lbs of sheer dynamite – a record, which still stands today. Since then, there has been only one record of mahseer over 100 lbs, but the locals have landed giants of 100-112 lbs on hand-lines.

Before the ABU team in 1978 "refound" the mighty mahseer, the fishing had declined rapidly, when the British left India in 1947. But after these three anglers adventurous story, more French, British and Germs got their appetite for mahseer wetted, and suddenly the mahseer was found in many sports fishing magazines after having been virtually forgotten for 30 years.
Even though there has been only the one 100 pounder during the last 50 years, several fishermen have had wonderful catches; for example, John Wilson who had the distinction of catching a 92 and an 81 pounder on the same day. Other known British adventure anglers have conquered the big mahseer, namely Paul Boote with 75 lb, Jeremy Wade with a 95½ lb, John Watson with an 88 lb, and Andy Davison with a 95 and an 88 lbs.

Mahseer biology
The humpback mahseer, being closely related to barbel in the big family of cyprinids, is scientifically named Tor musullah. The name mahseer, itself, is not without relevance, as it roughly translated means "great mouth" (maha meaning great, hence Maharaja). The huge protrudable, vacuum-cleaner like mouth is an impressive instrument, and equipped with closely packed pharyngal teeth, it is able to crush water-snails, crabs and other crustaceans, aswell as most of the hardware from an anglers tackle box. The mouth is also muscular and very powerful, the lips resembling hard rubber, and with this device the mahseer is capable of killing fairly large fish by sheer compression. Still, the lips are extremely sensitive, and the mahseer can actually pick up single rice grains, and that at an incredible speed. The mahseer looks much like a huge cross between a roach and a barbel.