Uttarakhand, with its thick jungles in the foothills and tiny villages, is alive with the legacy of Jim Corbett and this was evident on Friday when people across the state thrillingly participated in celebrating the birth anniversary of one of the greatest conservationists in the world. A trail of commemorative ceremonies was even crisscrossed at various places which were closely related to the life and work of Corbett such as the Corbett Tiger Reserve, Chhoti Haldwani, Kotdwar and Kalagarh to disseminate his lasting message of wildlife conservation.
Having been born at Nainital on July 25, 1875 Corbett first rose to fame as a proficient hunter who left a legacy of 33 man-eating tigers and leopards behind which had at one point terrorized villages in the area. But a radical change later in his life caused him to be one of the first and most influential conservationists in India. Commended as the father of tiger conservation in India to date, his works and promotion have served to inspire similar world-wide conservation efforts.
Rajesh Bhatt, a senior naturalist in Corbett, wondered how Corbett had changed perceptions about this big cat world over by describing him as a large-hearted, gentle animal. Bhatt explained that, he not only conserved wildlife, but also created awareness of the need to make conservation by the world.
In the Ramnagar where Corbett established the famous tiger reserve Corbett and used to winter at Corbetts winter house at Kaladhungi, events were conducted where the forest officials, environmentalists, the nature guides as well as the local villagers came there to honor his work. The Saket Badola, Director of Corbett Tiger Reserve, has stated that parallel programs were also conducted at Dhangadi Museum and Chhoti Haldwani, a model village set up by Corbett in 1915 within an area of 221 acres of land reflecting his community oriented conservation process in Uttarakhand.
The pioneering contribution that Corbett made in the field of wildlife led wildlife activists to praise his contribution in making the modern tiger conservation efforts done in India thus safeguarding these endangered species.
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