The first tiger reserve of the nation, Corbett tiger reserve turned 47 on Wednesday. It was on April 1, 1973 that the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi announced the formation of this tiger reserve. This tiger reserve is now considered one of the best not only in India but across the world for the conservation of its rich fauna and flora.
Established in 1936 as the Hailey national park and later renamed after famous hunter turned conservationist Jim Corbett who lived most of his life in Nainital district before shifting to Kenya, Corbett national park is situated on the banks of the Ramganga. It covers a total area of 1288.12 square kilometers of which 821.99 square kilometers is the core zone where tourists are not allowed. Corbett national park field director Rahul said that after the national park was declared a tiger reserve in 1973, the importance of this tiger reserve has increased considerably. After its creation, works for conservation of tigers were also stepped up here. There were a total of nine tiger reserves in 1973, which have increased to 50 in 2020. These include Corbett and Rajaji in Uttarakhand. The tiger census conducted in India during 2006 ascertained 1,411 tiger population which rose to 1,706 in the 2010 census. Similarly, the number of tigers rose to 2226 in 2014 and further to 2967 in 2018. Presently, Corbett is estimated to have more than 250 tigers.
According to Rahul, since Project Tiger (now National Tiger Conservation Authority) was launched, various works were undertaken for wildlife and biodiversity conservation in Corbett.
The national park has two divisions- Ramnagar tiger division and Kalagarh tiger division comprising of 12 ranges and four sub-divisions. Additionally, while one range is focused on eco-tourism, research work is carried out in another range. Conservation work focused on about 50 mammal species, 650 bird species and 25 reptile species is carried out in Corbett.
The Ramganga river is also the breeding ground for Ghariyal and crocodiles. The Mahasheer fish also thrives in this river.