| The Ramganga valley once supported an ancient,
relatively unstudied civilisation. Vestiges of their existence
can be seen in the shape and form of terracotta remains and
temple ruins that lie along the river. The community seems to
have been a farming one that had worked hard at clearing parts
of the jungle for agriculture. But theirs seemed to be a losing
battle against a forest that would cyclically reclaim its lands.
Sal Shorea robusta, forests once grew in a wide swatch all
the way across from Punjab to Assam. But humans encroached
the jungles, and by the time Jim Corbett arrived on the scene
most of these forest had already been cleared. Nevertheless,
this was still a favourite shikar area and many animal trophies
that decorated the walls of British soldiers and officers
in North India came from these parts. Timber to feed the insatiable
demands of the British government also came from here and
it was only when Major Ramsay, a British officer with vision
and sensitivity, called a halt to the destruction that the
combined havoc of cultivation, grazing and timber felling
came to an end.
Years later E A Smythies of the Imperial Forest Service tentatively
proposed the declaration of the area as a national park. And
in 1936 it was finally notified as the Hailey National Park,
named after Governor Hailey of the United Provinces. After
India gained her Independence from the British, the park was
renamed to Ramganga National Park in 1952. In 1957, officers
and locals who knew the major role Jim Corbett had played
in protecting the forest, marking its boundaries and championing
the survival of the animals of the Ramganga, asked for it
to be renamed after the legendary hunter. It was consequently
re-christened the Corbett National Park in 1957.
By the 1970s it was apparent that the tiger was in trouble
and that less than 2,000 animals survived in the wild. (LINK)
Project Tiger was thus set up in April 1973 to protect the
tiger and its habitat. Appropriately, the Corbett Tiger Reserve
was the location for the launch of Project Tiger, officially
inaugurated on February 1, 1974.
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There is no dearth of stories and tales that do the rounds,
most revolving around the exploits of Jim Corbett. One tale
revolves around the time Corbett was sleeping in the Dhikala
Forest Rest House, when the District Collector arrived unexpectedly
in the middle of the night and evicted him. Infuriated, Corbett
swore never again to avail of government hospitality and till
he left India, he never did. He chose to pitch a tent and live
in it, using only the messing facilities, to avoid the ignominy
of being so treated again.
Almost every villager continues to tell tales about their
'Carpet Saheb' and through years of embellishment some of
the exciting stories of killer cats have taken on the colour
of pure fiction.
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| Corbett is free from human settlements. The core
zone is strictly restricted territory. Grazing and lopping is
prohibited except along the periphery where villagers have rights
under the Indian (Forest) Act 1980. Experts have been asking
for the core and buffer zones to be enlarged. They have also
been championing protection for the forest corridor between
Corbett and the Rajaji National Parks, to enable elephants and
tigers to migrate.
The Ramganga River Project at Kalagarh has lead to wetlands
replacing grassland habitats over an extensive area. This
has caused changes in the mix of animals and plants, but not
enough research has been done on this aspect of the forest
character.
Fires are a perennial problem and a network of fire-lines
has been created. Staff equipped with wireless radios patrols
these lines. Controlled fires are used to maintain grasslands
and control accumulated dry leaf litter along fire lines.
The tourist complex at Dhikala is a major source of disturbance
appropriating a sizeable chunk of prime grassland habitat.
Plastic and toxic litter is also a major problem thanks to
tourists.
Dynamiting and illicit netting of fish in the Ramganga, particularly
on the outskirts, is a real problem.
Water shortages in summer sometimes cause animals to move
to peripheral areas of the park where they are at risk from
poachers. Waterholes have been artificially constructed at
various localities throughout the park to prevent this.
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