Jim Corbett National Park, named after the hunter turned conservationist Jim Corbett who played a key role in its establishment—is the oldest national park in India. The park was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park. Situated in Nainital district of Uttarakhand, the park acts as a protected area for the critically endangered Bengal tiger of India, the secure survival of which is the main objective of Project Tiger, an Indian wildlife protection initiative.Corbett National Park is one of the thirteen protected areas covered by World Wildlife Fund under their Terai Arc Landscape Programme.The programme aims to protect three of the five terrestrial flagship species, the tiger, the Asian elephant and the Great One-horned Rhinoceros, by restoring corridors of forest to link 13 protected areas of Nepal and India to enable wildlife migration. You can get a glimpse of the marshcrocodile,
the long-snouted gharial and pythons on the banks of the Ramganga reservoir during your wildlife tours to the Corbett National Park in Ramnagar in Uttaranchal, India. The Ramganga River has a large population of fishes such as the carp.While on wildlife tours to the Corbett National Park you can watch over 600 species of birds that include birds like the pied kingfisher and the fishing eagle.The Corbett National Park is well connected by road to the Dhikala Camp and is connected by railroad to Ramnagar in Uttaranchal, India. To be able to enter the Corbett National Park you have to obtain entry permits to the wildlife park from the park administration in Ramnagar, Uttaranchal, India. Geography :-
The park is located between 29°25' to 29°39'N latitude and 78°44' to 79°07'E longitude.The average altitude of the region ranges between 360 m (1,181 ft) and 1,040 m (3,412 ft).It has numerous ravines, ridges, minor streams and small plateaus with varying aspects and degrees of slopes. The reserve, located partly along a vally between
the Lesser Himalaya in the north and the Siwaliks in the south, has a sub-Himalayan belt structure.The upper tertiary rocks are exposed towards the base of the Siwalik range and hard sandstone units form broad ridges.The park encompasses the Patli Dun valley formed by the Ramganga river.
Climate :-
The weather in the park is temperate compared to most other protected areas of India.The temperature may vary from 5 °C (41 °F) to 30 °C (86 °F) during the winter and some mornings are foggy.Summer temperatures normally do not rise above 40 °C (104 °F).Rainfall ranges from light during the dry season to heavy during the monsoons.
Flora :-
A total of 488 different species of plants have been recorded in the park.Tree density inside the reserve is higher in the areas of Sal forests and lowest in the Anogeissus-Acacia catechu forests.Total tree basal cover is greater in Sal dominated areas of woody vegetation.Healthy regeneration in sapling and seedling layers is occurring in the Mallotus philippensis, Jamun, and Diospyros tomentosa communities, but in the Sal forests the regeneration of sapling and seedling is poor
Fauna :-
Over 585 species of resident and migratory birds have been categorized, including crested serpent eagles, blossom headed parakeet and the red jungle fowl — ancestor of all domestic fowl. 33 species of reptiles, 7 species of amphibians, 7 species of fish and 37 species of
dragonflies have also been recorded.Bengal tigers, although plentiful, are not easily spotted due to the abundance of camouflage in the reserve. Thick jungle, the Ramganga river, and plentiful prey make this reserve an ideal habitat for tigers who are opportunistic feeders and prey upon a range of animals Leopards are found in hilly areas but may also venture into the low land jungles. Smaller felines in the park include the Jungle Cat, Fishing Cat and Leopard Cat. Other mammals include four kinds of deer (barking, sambar, hog, Black buck and chital), Sloth and Himalayan Black bears, Indian Grey Mongoose, otters, yellow-throated martens, ghoral (goat-antelopes), Indian pangolins, and langur and rhesus monkeys. Owls and Nightjars can be heard during the night.In the summer, Elephants are seen in large herds of several hundred.The Indian python found in the reserve is a dangerous species, capable of killing a chital deer.Local crocodiles were saved from extinction by captive breeding programs that subsequently released crocodiles into the Ramganga river.
