In
1974 the world funded Tiger Conservation Project was launched at Corbett
National Park in an endeavour to save this majestic animal from extinction.
With Corbett as the pilot model, eight other tiger reserves came up in
India. At the last count the tiger population in Corbett and other parks had
shown stability, raising hopes of naturalists and conservators worldwide.
So how good would be the chances of spotting one at Corbett?
Corbett is one of the most congested parks in India with a ratio of 1 tiger
to every 5 acres. Gullies, ravines and thick forest cover give tigers the
right kind of habitat. And herdes of deer, particularly the sambar, plenty
of food.
The tiger is reclusive, but can be somewhat predictable in its beat. You
are more likely to spot a tiger close near a water body than to meet him or
her accidentally on the forest path! And though your hair may stand on end,
it may be worthwhile to take heed of what Jim Corbett wrote in his
'Man-eaters of Kumaon' -
"A tiger's function in the scheme of things is to help maintain the
balance in nature and if,
on
rare occasions when driven by dire necessity, he kills a human being or when
his natural food has been ruthlessly exterminated by man, it is not fair
that for these acts a whole species should be branded as cruel and
bloodthirsty. ...There is one point on which all sportsmen will agree with
me, and that is, that a tiger is a large hearted gentleman with boundless
courage and that when he is exterminated - as exterminated he will be unless
public opinion rallies to
his support - India will be the poorer for having lost the finest of her
fauna."
Project for Tiger Conservation
The most ambitious conservation project ever undertaken, Project Tiger
Reserves was launched with the support of the World Wildlife Fund and the
involvement of the world's most ardent conservationists.
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