“ A white leg was suddenly thrust up into the air and violently agitated, and the next moment there was a deep-throated growl—the tigers were on the kill and were having a difference of opinion over some toothful morsel. For several minutes, I stood perfectly still; the leg continued to be agitated, but the growl was not repeated. A nearer approach was not advisable, for even if I succeeded in covering the thirty yards without being seen, and managed to kill one of the tigers, the other, as likely as not, would blunder into me, and the ground I was on would give me no chance of defending myself.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A tracker-turned-conservationist, Jim Corbett was a renowned writer and wildlife expert. Born on 25 July 1875, he was appointed a colonel in the British Indian Army and was often requested by the government of the United Provinces (modern-day Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand) to hunt man-eaters and leopards that spread terror in the Garhwal and Kumaon regions.
An avid photographer, Corbett’s books, particularly Man-eaters of Kumaon and Jungle Lore achieved international critical acclaim and earned global recognition.
As a conservationist, Corbett was instrumental in spreading awareness and drawing up programmes for the protection of India’s wildlife. He also played a key role in the creation of a national reserve for the Bengal tiger.
As a homage to his tireless contribution to wildlife conservation and welfare, the national reserve was renamed Jim Corbett National Park in 1957, two years after Corbett passed away in 1955.
