Kerala - Kochi   

Tribute to a conservationist

The Oxford University Press (OUP) is offering special discounts on all Jim Corbett titles and books on wild life from July 23 to 30 as a tribute to the hunter-turned-conservationist on his birthday. Jim Corbett was born on July 25, 1875 to a British couple in the town of Naini Tal in the Kumaon foothills of the Himalayas. Between 1907 and 1938, Corbett hunted down at least a dozen man-eaters.

He is known for his writings on hunting of tigers and leopards. He died on April 19, 1955. He was also a fishing enthusiast in his early life but took to big game photography later. In his later life, he vowed not to shoot an animal except for food or if it were dangerous. His encounters with man-eaters are narrated in his books.

A pioneer conservationist, he made out a strong case as early as in 1950 for a plan to save tigers and other denizens of the Indian jungle.

He also stressed 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. After 1947, Corbett and his sister Maggie retired to Nyeri, Kenya, where he continued to write.

Corbett authored six books: The Man-Eaters of Kumaon (1946); The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag (1948); My India (1952); Jungle Lore (1953); The Temple Tiger and More Man-Eaters of Kumaon (1954); and Tree Tops (1955). Jungle Lore is considered to be an autobiography. He also wrote about the country's rural life - My India.

K.C. Gopakumar

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

GIS-based emergency response system for Ernakulam district
Preserving the heritage of Koodiyattom
The monsoon beckons tourists to State
Vyttila bus terminal: meeting of stakeholders on Wednesday
Meet on snakebite begins in Kochi today
Tribute to a conservationist
Kochi to host national expo on building infrastructure
Pledge to protect minority rights
Income tax employees to launch agitation
`Extension of ban on trawling to protect foreign trawlers'
Around the City

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu