Jim Corbett - Revision history

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← Older revision		Revision as of 08:46, 22 July 2023
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	{{Short description\|British hunter, tracker, naturalist and author}}		{{Short description\|British hunter, tracker, naturalist and author (1875–1955)}}
	{{other people\|\|James Corbett (disambiguation){{!}}James Corbett}}		{{other people\|\|James Corbett (disambiguation){{!}}James Corbett}}
	{{EngvarB\|date = May 2022}}		{{EngvarB\|date = May 2022}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=July 2020}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=July 2020}}
	{{Infobox person		{{Infobox person
	\| honorific_prefix = ~~[[Colonel]]~~		\| honorific_prefix =
	\| name = Jim Corbett		\| name = Jim Corbett
	\| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals\|country=GBR\|size=100%\|CIE\|VD}}		\| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals\|country=GBR\|size=100%\|CIE\|VD}}
	\| image = Jim Corbett.jpg		\|image = Jim Corbett.jpg
	~~\| caption = Corbett in 1944~~
	\| birth_name = Edward James Corbett		\| birth_name = Edward James Corbett
	\| birth_date = {{Birth date\|df=yes\|1875\|07\|25}}		\| birth_date = {{Birth date\|df=yes\|1875\|07\|25}}
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	}}		}}

	'''Edward James Corbett''' {{post-nominals\|country=GBR\|CIE\|VD}} (25 July 1875 – 19 April 1955) was a British [[hunting\|hunter]], [[Tracking (hunting)\|tracker]], [[natural history\|naturalist]], and author who hunted a number of [[man-eating]] tigers and [[Indian leopard\|leopards]] in the [[Indian subcontinent]].		[[Colonel]] '''Edward James Corbett''' {{post-nominals\|country=GBR\|CIE\|VD}} (25 July 1875 – 19 April 1955) was an Indian-born British [[hunting\|hunter]], [[Tracking (hunting)\|tracker]], [[natural history\|naturalist]], and author who hunted a number of [[man-eating]] tigers and [[Indian leopard\|leopards]] in the [[Indian subcontinent]].
	He held the rank of [[colonel]] in the [[British Indian Army]] and was frequently called upon by the Government of the [[United Provinces of Agra and Oudh]], now the Indian states of [[Uttar Pradesh]] and [[Uttarakhand]], to kill man-eating tigers and leopards that were preying on people in the nearby villages of the [[Kumaon division\|Kumaon]]-[[Garhwal Division\|Garhwal]] Regions.		He held the rank of [[colonel]] in the [[British Indian Army]] and was frequently called upon by the Government of the [[United Provinces of Agra and Oudh]], now the Indian states of [[Uttar Pradesh]] and [[Uttarakhand]], to kill man-eating tigers and leopards that were preying on people in the nearby villages of the [[Kumaon division\|Kumaon]]-[[Garhwal Division\|Garhwal]] Regions.

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	<blockquote>The wound that has caused a particular tiger to take to man-eating might be the result of a carelessly fired shot and failure to follow up and recover the wounded animal or be the result of the tiger having lost his temper while killing a porcupine</blockquote>		<blockquote>The wound that has caused a particular tiger to take to man-eating might be the result of a carelessly fired shot and failure to follow up and recover the wounded animal or be the result of the tiger having lost his temper while killing a porcupine</blockquote>

	Corbett preferred to hunt alone and on foot when pursuing dangerous game. He often hunted with Robin, a small dog he wrote about in ''Man-Eaters of Kumaon''.<ref name="Rangarajan70">Rangarajan, M. (2006) [https://books.google.com/books?id=a89yMml_etQC~~&lpg=PR3&ots=3B1W_dQlUe~~&pg=PR3~~#v=onepage&f=true~~ ''India's Wildlife History: An Introduction'']. Permanent Black and Ranthambore Foundation, Delhi. {{ISBN\|81-7824-140-4}}.</ref>		Corbett preferred to hunt alone and on foot when pursuing dangerous game. He often hunted with Robin, a small dog he wrote about in ''Man-Eaters of Kumaon''.<ref name="Rangarajan70">Rangarajan, M. (2006) [https://books.google.com/books?id=a89yMml_etQC&pg=PR3 ''India's Wildlife History: An Introduction'']. Permanent Black and Ranthambore Foundation, Delhi. {{ISBN\|81-7824-140-4}}.</ref>

	==Hunter and naturalist==		==Hunter and naturalist==
	Corbett bought his first camera in the late 1920s and—inspired by his friend [[Frederick Walter Champion]]—started to record tigers on [[cine film]].<ref name="Rangarajan70" /> Although he had an intimate knowledge of the jungle, it was a demanding task to obtain good pictures, as the animals were exceedingly shy.		Corbett bought his first camera in the late 1920s and—inspired by his friend [[Frederick Walter Champion]]—started to record tigers on [[cine film]].<ref name="Rangarajan70" /> Although he had an intimate knowledge of the jungle, it was a demanding task to obtain good pictures, as the animals were exceedingly shy.

	A popular misconception is that Corbett never killed a tiger without confirmation of its killing people.<ref>Thapar, V. (2001) [https://books.google.com/books?id=E83LhDWxOicC~~&lpg=PA69&lr~~&pg=PA69~~#v=onepage&q&f=true~~ ''Savings Wild Tigers: the essential writings'']. Permanent Black, Delhi.</ref> For example, Corbett killed the unusually large and most widely sought after [[Bachelor of Powalgarh]], even though this tiger had never killed a human.<ref>Corbett, J. (1944) [https://books.google.com/books?id=NePfXwAACAAJ&dq=man+eaters+of+kumaon~~&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y~~ ''Man-Eaters of Kumaon'']. Oxford University Press.</ref>		A popular misconception is that Corbett never killed a tiger without confirmation of its killing people.<ref>Thapar, V. (2001) [https://books.google.com/books?id=E83LhDWxOicC&pg=PA69 ''Savings Wild Tigers: the essential writings'']. Permanent Black, Delhi.</ref> For example, Corbett killed the unusually large and most widely sought after [[Bachelor of Powalgarh]], even though this tiger had never killed a human.<ref>Corbett, J. (1944) [https://books.google.com/books?id=NePfXwAACAAJ&q=man+eaters+of+kumaon ''Man-Eaters of Kumaon'']. Oxford University Press.</ref>
	Together with Champion, he played a key role in establishing India's first national park in the [[Kumaon division\|Kumaon]] Hills, the Hailey National Park, initially named after [[Malcolm Hailey, 1st Baron Hailey\|Lord Hailey]]. The park was renamed in Corbett's honour in 1957.<ref name="Beolens86">{{cite book \|last1=Beolens \|first1=B. \|year=2009 \|title=The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals \|last2=Watkins \| first2=M. \| last3=Grayson \| first3=M. \|publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press]] \| isbn=978-0-8018-9304-9\| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I-kSmWLc6vYC&pg=PA86\| page=86}}</ref>		Together with Champion, he played a key role in establishing India's first national park in the [[Kumaon division\|Kumaon]] Hills, the Hailey National Park, initially named after [[Malcolm Hailey, 1st Baron Hailey\|Lord Hailey]]. The park was renamed in Corbett's honour in 1957.<ref name="Beolens86">{{cite book \|last1=Beolens \|first1=B. \|year=2009 \|title=The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals \|last2=Watkins \| first2=M. \| last3=Grayson \| first3=M. \|publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press]] \| isbn=978-0-8018-9304-9\| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I-kSmWLc6vYC&pg=PA86\| page=86}}</ref>
	[[File:Gurney House, Nainital, India.jpg\|thumb\|Gurney House, Nainital]]		[[File:Gurney House, Nainital, India.jpg\|thumb\|Gurney House, Nainital]]
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	==Further reading==		==Further reading==
	* {{cite book\|author=Durga Charan Kala\|title=Jim Corbett of Kumaon\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XSZ2nQEACAAJ\|year=1979\|publisher=Ravi Dayal Publishers}}		* {{cite book\|author=Durga Charan Kala\|title=Jim Corbett of Kumaon\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XSZ2nQEACAAJ\|year=1979\|publisher=Ravi Dayal Publishers}}
	* {{cite book\|~~author~~=Martin Booth\|author-link=Martin Booth\|title=Carpet Sahib: A Life of Jim Corbett\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jgyDQgAACAAJ\|year=1986\|publisher=Constable\|isbn=978-0-09-467400-4}}		* {{cite book\|first=Martin \|last=Booth\|author-link=Martin Booth\|title=Carpet Sahib: A Life of Jim Corbett\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jgyDQgAACAAJ\|year=1986\|publisher=Constable\|isbn=978-0-09-467400-4}}
	* {{cite book\|author=Miriam Davidson\|title=Convictions of the Heart: Jim Corbett and the Sanctuary Movement\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SiP7AYE1qm8C\|year=1988\|publisher=University of Arizona Press\|isbn=978-0-8165-1034-4}}		* {{cite book\|author=Miriam Davidson\|title=Convictions of the Heart: Jim Corbett and the Sanctuary Movement\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SiP7AYE1qm8C\|year=1988\|publisher=University of Arizona Press\|isbn=978-0-8165-1034-4}}
	* {{cite book\|author=Tim Werling\|title=Jim Corbett: Master of the Jungle\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=79MFAAAACAAJ\|date=1 December 1998\|publisher=Safari Press, Incorporated\|isbn=978-1-57157-104-5}}		* {{cite book\|author=Tim Werling\|title=Jim Corbett: Master of the Jungle\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=79MFAAAACAAJ\|date=1 December 1998\|publisher=Safari Press, Incorporated\|isbn=978-1-57157-104-5}}
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	* {{cite book\|author=Reeta Dutta Gupta\|title=Jim Corbett : The Hunter Conservationist\|url=\|date=1 April 2006\|publisher=Rupa & Company\|isbn=978-81-291-0893-7}}		* {{cite book\|author=Reeta Dutta Gupta\|title=Jim Corbett : The Hunter Conservationist\|url=\|date=1 April 2006\|publisher=Rupa & Company\|isbn=978-81-291-0893-7}}
	* {{cite book\|author=Peter Byrne\|title=Gentlemen Hunter\|date=1 January 2007\|publisher=Safari Press\|isbn=978-1571572257}}		* {{cite book\|author=Peter Byrne\|title=Gentlemen Hunter\|date=1 January 2007\|publisher=Safari Press\|isbn=978-1571572257}}
	* {{cite book\|author=Priyvrat Gadhvi, Preetum Gheerawo, Manfred Waltl, [[Joseph Jordania]], Fernando Quevedo de Oliveira\|title=Behind Jim Corbett's Stories: An Analytical Journey to 'Corbett's Places' and Unanswered Questions\|url=http://www.josephjordania.com/files/47-Corbert-book.pdf\|date=25 March 2016\|publisher=Logos\|isbn=978-9941-437-92-2}}		* {{cite book\|author=Priyvrat Gadhvi, Preetum Gheerawo, Manfred Waltl, [[Joseph Jordania]], Fernando Quevedo de Oliveira\|title=Behind Jim Corbett's Stories: An Analytical Journey to 'Corbett's Places' and Unanswered Questions\|url=http://www.josephjordania.com/files/47-Corbert-book.pdf\|date=25 March 2016\|publisher=Logos\|isbn=978-9941-437-92-2\|access-date=1 December 2017\|archive-date=2 May 2021\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502075848/http://www.josephjordania.com/files/47-Corbert-book.pdf\|url-status=dead}}
	* {{cite book\|author=Preetum Gheerawo, Manfred Waltl, Ali Akhtar, Priyvrat Gadhvi, [[Joseph Jordania]], Fernando Quevedo de Oliveira\|title=Behind Jim Corbett's Stories: Volume 2\|url=http://www.josephjordania.com/files/1-Behind-Jim-Corbertt-s-Stories-Vol-2-FULL-BOOK-for-INTERNET.pdf\|date=19 April 2020\|publisher=Logos\|isbn=978-9941-468-85-8}}		* {{cite book\|author=Preetum Gheerawo, Manfred Waltl, Ali Akhtar, Priyvrat Gadhvi, [[Joseph Jordania]], Fernando Quevedo de Oliveira\|title=Behind Jim Corbett's Stories: Volume 2\|url=http://www.josephjordania.com/files/1-Behind-Jim-Corbertt-s-Stories-Vol-2-FULL-BOOK-for-INTERNET.pdf\|date=19 April 2020\|publisher=Logos\|isbn=978-9941-468-85-8\|access-date=8 December 2020\|archive-date=1 May 2021\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501074607/http://www.josephjordania.com/files/1-Behind-Jim-Corbertt-s-Stories-Vol-2-FULL-BOOK-for-INTERNET.pdf\|url-status=dead}}
	* {{cite book\|author=Duff Hart-Davis\|title=Hero of Kumaon : The Life of Jim Corbett\|url=https://~~www~~.google.~~co.uk~~/books~~/edition/Hero_of_Kumaon/2HNWzgEACAAJ~~?hl=en\|date=2 September 2021\|publisher=Merlin Unwin Books\|isbn=978-19-131-5926-9}}		* {{cite book\|author=Duff Hart-Davis\|title=Hero of Kumaon : The Life of Jim Corbett\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2HNWzgEACAAJ\|date=2 September 2021\|publisher=Merlin Unwin Books\|isbn=978-19-131-5926-9}}

	==External links==		==External links==
	~~{{Commons category\|Jim Corbett}}~~

	* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130102223657/http://latestbookreviews.net/my-kumaon-uncollected-writings-by-jim-corbett-book-review/ My Kumaon: Uncollected Writings by Jim Corbett - Book Review]		* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130102223657/http://latestbookreviews.net/my-kumaon-uncollected-writings-by-jim-corbett-book-review/ My Kumaon: Uncollected Writings by Jim Corbett - Book Review]
	* [https://jimcorbettdiscussions.weebly.com/ "Jim Corbett International Research Group" website and FB discussion page]		* [https://jimcorbettdiscussions.weebly.com/ "Jim Corbett International Research Group" website and FB discussion page]
	* [http://www.corbettfoundation.org/ The Corbett Foundation India]		* [http://www.corbettfoundation.org/ The Corbett Foundation India]
	* [http://www.respectance.com/JIM_CORBETT Jim Corbett Tribute and Memorial website] {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121230032937/http://www.respectance.com/JIM_CORBETT \|date=30 December 2012 }}		* [http://www.respectance.com/JIM_CORBETT Jim Corbett Tribute and Memorial website] {{Webarchive\|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121230032937/http://www.respectance.com/JIM_CORBETT \|date=30 December 2012 }}
	* [https://www.corbett-national-park.in/ Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve]

	{{Authority control}}		{{Authority control}}
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	[[Category:British hunters]]		[[Category:British hunters]]
	[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire]]		[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
	[[Category:~~Indian hunters~~]]		[[Category:Hunters in British India]]
	[[Category:~~Indian naturalists~~]]		[[Category:Naturalists of British India]]
	[[Category:British naturalists]]		[[Category:British naturalists]]
	[[Category:People from Nainital]]		[[Category:People from Nainital]]
	[[Category:Indian conservationists]]		[[Category:Indian conservationists]]
	[[Category:British conservationists]]		[[Category:British conservationists]]
	[[Category:~~Indian~~ people ~~of Irish descent~~]]		[[Category:British people in colonial India]]
	[[Category:Recipients of the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal]]		[[Category:Recipients of the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal]]
	[[Category:British Indian Army officers]]		[[Category:British Indian Army officers]]

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← Older revision		Revision as of 20:21, 19 December 2022
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	{{other people\|\|James Corbett (disambiguation){{!}}James Corbett}}		{{other people\|\|James Corbett (disambiguation){{!}}James Corbett}}
	{{EngvarB\|date = May 2022}}		{{EngvarB\|date = May 2022}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=July ~~2022~~}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=July 2020}}
	{{Infobox person		{{Infobox person
	\| honorific_prefix = [[Colonel]]		\| honorific_prefix = [[Colonel]]
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	While dedicating his book ''My India'' to "...my friends, the poor of India", he writes "It is of these people, who are admittedly poor, and who are often described as 'India's starving millions', among whom I have lived and whom I love, that I shall endeavour to tell in the pages of this book, which I humbly dedicate to my friends, the poor of India." Profits from the publication of "Man-Eaters of Kumaon" were donated to St. Dunstan's, a training school for blinded veterans.{{cn\|date=July 2021}}		While dedicating his book ''My India'' to "...my friends, the poor of India", he writes "It is of these people, who are admittedly poor, and who are often described as 'India's starving millions', among whom I have lived and whom I love, that I shall endeavour to tell in the pages of this book, which I humbly dedicate to my friends, the poor of India." Profits from the publication of "Man-Eaters of Kumaon" were donated to St. Dunstan's, a training school for blinded veterans.{{cn\|date=July 2021}}

	Jim Corbett resided in the [[Gurney House]], Nainital along with his sister Maggie Corbett, where their mother moved in 1881 after the death of their father. <ref name=hind>{{cite web\|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/travel/the-british-lady-who-pioneered-tourism-in-nainital-130-years-ago/story-aTCH8STvqsvp5lZLXreEYI.html\|title=The British lady who pioneered tourism in Nainital 130 years ago\|website=Hindustan Times \|date=Jun 17, ~~2022~~}}</ref> They sold the house to Mrs. Kalavati Varma, before leaving for Kenya in November 1947. The house is now a private residence, which has been transformed into a museum and is known as the Jim Corbett Museum.		Jim Corbett resided in the [[Gurney House]], Nainital along with his sister Maggie Corbett, where their mother moved in 1881 after the death of their father. <ref name=hind>{{cite web\|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/travel/the-british-lady-who-pioneered-tourism-in-nainital-130-years-ago/story-aTCH8STvqsvp5lZLXreEYI.html\|title=The British lady who pioneered tourism in Nainital 130 years ago\|website=Hindustan Times \|date=Jun 17, 2018}}</ref> They sold the house to Mrs. Kalavati Varma, before leaving for Kenya in November 1947. The house is now a private residence, which has been transformed into a museum and is known as the Jim Corbett Museum.

	Jim also spent a short time in Chotti Haldwani, a village he had adopted and which came to be known as Corbett's Village. Corbett and the villagers built a wall around the village in 1925 to keep wild animals out of the premises. As of 2018 the wall still stands, and according to villagers has prevented wild animal attacks on villagers since it was built.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/in-this-nainital-village-corbett-s-great-wall-stands-between-villagers-and-tigers/story-F2VQSPiCZRPu4ZidN3zbbL.html\|title = In this Nainital village, Corbett's Great Wall stands between villagers, tigers\|date = 18 February ~~2022~~}}</ref>		Jim also spent a short time in Chotti Haldwani, a village he had adopted and which came to be known as Corbett's Village. Corbett and the villagers built a wall around the village in 1925 to keep wild animals out of the premises. As of 2018 the wall still stands, and according to villagers has prevented wild animal attacks on villagers since it was built.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/in-this-nainital-village-corbett-s-great-wall-stands-between-villagers-and-tigers/story-F2VQSPiCZRPu4ZidN3zbbL.html\|title = In this Nainital village, Corbett's Great Wall stands between villagers, tigers\|date = 18 February 2018}}</ref>

	==Retirement in Kenya==		==Retirement in Kenya==
	After 1947, Corbett and his sister Maggie retired to [[Nyeri]], [[Kenya]],<ref name="Beolens86" /> where he lived in the cottage 'Paxtu' in the grounds of the [[Outspan Hotel\|Hotel Outspan]], which had originally been built for his friend [[Lord Baden-Powell]].<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/jan/08/queen-elizabeth-treetops-kenya \|title=The day Princess Elizabeth became Queen \|publisher=Daily Telegraph \|date=8 January 2012 \|website=Guardian \|access-date=9 July ~~2022~~}}</ref>		After 1947, Corbett and his sister Maggie retired to [[Nyeri]], [[Kenya]],<ref name="Beolens86" /> where he lived in the cottage 'Paxtu' in the grounds of the [[Outspan Hotel\|Hotel Outspan]], which had originally been built for his friend [[Lord Baden-Powell]].<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/jan/08/queen-elizabeth-treetops-kenya \|title=The day Princess Elizabeth became Queen \|publisher=Daily Telegraph \|date=8 January 2012 \|website=Guardian \|access-date=9 July 2019}}</ref>

	[[File:Treetops.jpg\|thumb\|Treetops Hotel, rebuilt in 1957 after the original structure was burned down in 1954.]]		[[File:Treetops.jpg\|thumb\|Treetops Hotel, rebuilt in 1957 after the original structure was burned down in 1954.]]

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{{Short description|British hunter, tracker, naturalist and author}}
{{other people||James Corbett (disambiguation){{!}}James Corbett}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox person
|name =Jim Corbett
|image = Jim Corbett.jpg
|caption = Jim Corbett
|birth_name= Edward James Corbett
|birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1875|07|25}}
|birth_place = [[Nainital]], ([[North-Western Provinces]], [[British India]]<br /> (now in [[Uttarakhand]], [[India]]))
|death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1955|04|19|1875|07|25}}
|death_place = [[Nyeri]], Kenya
|occupation = Hunter, [[naturalist]], writer
|nationality = [[India]]n
}}

'''Edward James Corbett''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CIE|VD}} (25 July 1875 – 19 April 1955) was a British [[hunting|hunter]], [[Tracking (hunting)|tracker]], [[natural history|naturalist]], and author who hunted a number of [[Man-eater|man-eating]] tigers and [[Indian leopard|leopards]] in India.
He held the rank of [[colonel]] in the [[British Indian Army]] and was frequently called upon by the Government of the [[United Provinces of Agra and Oudh]], now the Indian states of [[Uttar Pradesh]] and [[Uttarakhand]], to kill man-eating tigers and leopards that were preying on people in the nearby villages of the [[Kumaon division|Kumaon]]-[[Garhwal Division|Garhwal]] Regions.

He authored ''[[Man-Eaters of Kumaon]]'', ''Jungle Lore'', and other books recounting his hunts and experiences, which enjoyed critical acclaim and commercial success. He became an avid photographer and spoke out for the need to protect India's [[wildlife]] from extermination.

==Early life==

Corbett was born of British ancestry in the town of [[Nainital]] in [[Kumaon division|Kumaon]]. He grew up in a large family of sixteen children and was the eighth child of Christopher William Corbett and his wife Mary Jane (née Prussia) who had previously married Dr Charles James Doyle of Agra, who died at Etawah in 1857.<ref>Booth:20–26.</ref> His parents had moved to Nainital in 1862, after Christopher Corbett had quit military service and been appointed the town's [[postmaster]].<ref>Booth:20.</ref> In winters the family used to move to the foothills, where they owned a cottage named "Arundel" in the village now known as [[Kaladhungi]].

[[File:Corbett House at Kaladhungi.png|thumb|Corbett House at Corbett Museum, Kaladhungi, Kumaon]]
Mary Jane was very influential in Nainital social life among Europeans and she became a kind of real estate agent for European settlers.<ref>Booth:29.</ref> Christopher William retired from the position of postmaster in 1878. He died a few weeks after a heart attack on 21 April 1881. Jim was then aged six and his eldest brother Tom took over as postmaster of Nainital. From a very early age, Jim was fascinated by the forests and wildlife around his home in Kaladhungi. Through frequent excursions, he learned to identify most animals and birds by their [[Animal sound|calls]]. Over time he became a good [[Tracking (hunting)|tracker]] and [[Hunting|hunter]]. He studied at Oak Openings School, which merged with Philander Smith College in Nainital (later known as Halett War School, and now known as Birla Vidya Mandir, Nainital). Before he was nineteen he quit school and found employment with the [[Indian Railway|Bengal and North Western Railway]], initially working as a fuel inspector at [[Manakpur]] in the [[Punjab region|Punjab]], and subsequently as a contractor for the [[trans-shipment]] of goods across the [[Ganges]] at [[Mokama|Mokameh]] Ghat in [[Bihar]].<ref name=kala1979>Kala, D. C. (1979) ''Jim Corbett of Kumaon''. Ankur Publishing House, New Delhi</ref> Jim Corbett started a school for the Railway staff at Mokama Ghat.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://archive.org/stream/MyIndia1952#page/n182/mode/1up/search/life+at+mokama+ghat |title= My India |first= Jim | last= Corbett |year= 1952|page= 183 |accessdate= 17 May 2018}}</ref>

==Hunting man-eating tigers and leopards==
During his life Corbett tracked and shot a number of [[leopard]]s and Tigers; about a dozen were well documented [[Man-eater]]s. Corbett provided estimates of human [[casualties]] in his books, including ''[[Man-Eaters of Kumaon]]'', ''The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag,'' and ''The Temple Tiger and More Man-Eaters of Kumaon.'' Calculating the totals from these accounts, these big cats had killed more than 1,200 men, women, and children, according to Corbett. There are some discrepancies in the official human death tolls that the British and Indian governments have on record and Corbett's estimates.

The first designated man-eating tiger he killed, the [[Champawat Tiger]], was responsible for an estimated 436 documented deaths.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17630703 Tiger and leopard attacks in Nepal] BBC News (11 July 2012)</ref> Though most of his kills were tigers, Corbett successfully killed at least two-man-eating leopards. The first was the [[Panar Leopard]] in 1910, which allegedly killed 400 people. The second was the man-eating [[Leopard of Rudraprayag]] in 1926, which terrorized the pilgrims journeying to the holy Hindu shrines [[Kedarnath Temple|Kedarnath]] and [[Badrinath Temple|Badrinath]] for more than eight years, and was said to be responsible for more than 126 deaths.

Other notable man-eaters he killed were the Talla-Des man-eater, the Mohan man-eater, the [[Thak man-eater]], the [[Muktesar man-eater]] and the [[Tigers of Chowgarh|Chowgarh tigress]].

Analysis of carcasses, skulls, and preserved remains show that most of the man-eaters were suffering from disease or wounds, such as [[Indian porcupine|porcupine]] quills embedded deep in the skin or gunshot wounds that had not healed, like that of the Muktesar Man-Eater. The Thak man-eating tigress, when skinned by Corbett, revealed two old gunshot wounds; one in her shoulder had become septic, and could have been the reason for the tigress's having turned man-eater, Corbett suggested. In the foreword of ''Man Eaters of Kumaon'', Corbett writes:
<blockquote>The wound that has caused a particular tiger to take to man-eating might be the result of a carelessly fired shot and failure to follow up and recover the wounded animal, or be the result of the tiger having lost his temper while killing a porcupine</blockquote>

Corbett preferred to hunt alone and on foot when pursuing dangerous game. He often hunted with Robin, a small dog he wrote about in ''Man-Eaters of Kumaon''.<ref name="Rangarajan70">Rangarajan, M. (2006) [https://books.google.com/books?id=a89yMml_etQC&lpg=PR3&ots=3B1W_dQlUe&pg=PR3#v=onepage&f=true ''India's Wildlife History: An Introduction'']. Permanent Black and Ranthambore Foundation, Delhi. {{ISBN|81-7824-140-4}}.</ref>

==Hunter and naturalist==
Corbett bought his first camera in the late 1920s and—inspired by his friend [[Frederick Walter Champion]]—started to record tigers on [[cine film]].<ref name="Rangarajan70" /> Although he had an intimate knowledge of the jungle, it was a demanding task to obtain good pictures, as the animals were exceedingly shy.

A popular misconception is that Corbett never killed a tiger without confirmation of its killing people.<ref>Thapar, V. (2001) [https://books.google.com/books?id=E83LhDWxOicC&lpg=PA69&lr&pg=PA69#v=onepage&q&f=true ''Savings Wild Tigers: the essential writings'']. Permanent Black, Delhi.</ref> For example, Corbett killed the unusually large and most widely sought after [[Bachelor of Powalgarh]], even though this tiger had never killed a human.<ref>Corbett, J. (1944) [https://books.google.com/books?id=NePfXwAACAAJ&dq=man+eaters+of+kumaon&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y ''Man-Eaters of Kumaon'']. Oxford University Press.</ref>
Together with Champion, he played a key role in establishing India's first national park in the [[Kumaon division|Kumaon]] Hills, the Hailey National Park, initially named after [[Lord Malcolm Hailey]]. The park was renamed in Corbett's honour in 1957.<ref name="Beolens86">{{cite book |last1=Beolens |first1=B. |year=2009 |title=The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals |last2=Watkins | first2=M. | last3=Grayson | first3=M. |publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press]] | isbn=978-0-8018-9304-9| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I-kSmWLc6vYC&pg=PA86| page=86}}</ref>
While dedicating his book ''My India'' to "...my friends, the poor of India", he writes "It is of these people, who are admittedly poor, and who are often described as 'India's starving millions', among whom I have lived and whom I love, that I shall endeavor to tell in the pages of this book, which I humbly dedicate to my friends, the poor of India."

==Retirement in Kenya==

Jim Corbett resided in the [[Gurney House]] along with his sister Maggie Corbett. They sold the house to Mrs. Kalavati Varma, before leaving for Kenya in November 1947. The house has been transformed into a museum and is known as the Jim Corbett Museum.

Jim also spent a short time in Chotti Haldwani, a village he had adopted and which came to be known as Corbett's Village. Corbett and the villagers built a wall around the village in 1925 to keep wild animals out of the premises. As of 2018 the wall still stands, and according to villagers has prevented wild animal attacks on villagers since it was built.<ref>
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/in-this-nainital-village-corbett-s-great-wall-stands-between-villagers-and-tigers/story-F2VQSPiCZRPu4ZidN3zbbL.html</ref>

After 1947, Corbett and his sister Maggie retired to [[Nyeri]], [[Kenya]],<ref name="Beolens86" /> where he lived in the cottage 'Paxtu' in the grounds of the [[Outspan Hotel|Hotel Outspan]], which had originally been built for his friend [[Lord Baden-Powell]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/jan/08/queen-elizabeth-treetops-kenya |title=The day Princess Elizabeth became Queen |publisher=Daily Telegraph |date=8 January 2012 |website=Guardian |access-date=9 July 2019}}</ref>

He continued to write and sound the alarm about declining numbers of wild cats and other wildlife. Corbett was at the [[Treetops Hotel|Treetops]], a hut built on the branches of a giant [[ficus tree]], as the bodyguard of [[Elizabeth II|Princess Elizabeth]] when she stayed there on 5–6 February 1952. That night, her father, [[George VI|King George VI]] died, and Elizabeth ascended to the throne. Corbett wrote in the hotel's visitors' register:

<blockquote>For the first time in the history of the world, a young girl climbed into a tree one day a Princess, and after having what she described as her most thrilling experience, she climbed down from the tree the next day a Queen—God bless her.</blockquote>

Corbett died of a heart attack a few days after he finished his sixth book, ''Tree Tops'', and was buried at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Nyeri. His memories were kept intact in the form of the meeting place Moti House, which Corbett had built for his friend Moti Singh, and the Corbett Wall, a long wall (approximately {{convert|4.5|mi|order=flip|abbr=on}}) built around the village to protect crops from wild animals.

''Man-eaters of Kumaon'' was a great success in India, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the first edition of the American [[Book-of-the-Month Club]] being 250,000 copies. It was later translated into 27 languages. Corbett's fourth book, ''Jungle Lore'', is considered his autobiography.

The [[Jim Corbett National Park]] in Uttarakhand, India was renamed in his honour in 1957. He had played a key role in establishing this protected area in the 1930s.

In 1968, one of the five remaining [[subspecies]] of tigers was named after him: ''Panthera tigris corbetti'', the [[Indochinese tiger]], also called Corbett's tiger.

In 1994 and 2002, the long-neglected graves of Corbett and his sister (both in Kenya) were repaired and restored by Jerry A. Jaleel, founder and director of the [[Jim Corbett Foundation]].<ref>Jaleel, J.A. (2009) [http://ceramtex.com/jimcorbett The Jim Corbett Foundation, Canada]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

== Personal life ==

Corbett remained unmarried in life.

===Hollywood movie===

In 1948, in the wake of ''Man-Eaters of Kumaon''{{'}}s success, a Hollywood film, ''[[Man-Eater of Kumaon]]'', was made, directed by [[Byron Haskin]] and starring [[Sabu Dastagir|Sabu]], [[Wendell Corey]] and [[Joe Page]]. The film did not follow any of Corbett's stories; a new story was invented. The film was a [[Box office flop|flop]], although some interesting footage of the tiger was filmed. Corbett is known to have said that "the best actor was the tiger".<ref>Martin Booth, ''Carpet Sahib; A Life of Jim Corbett'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 1991), 230.</ref>
'Corbett Legacy' was produced by the Uttarakhand Forest Department and directed by Bedi Brothers which carried original footage shot by Corbett.

===Other adaptations===

In 1986, the BBC produced a docudrama titled ''Man-Eaters of India'' with [[Frederick Treves (actor)|Frederick Treves]] in the role of Jim Corbett. An [[IMAX]] movie ''[[India: Kingdom of the Tiger]]'', based on Corbett's books, was made in 2002 starring [[Christopher Heyerdahl]] as Corbett. A TV movie based on ''The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag'' starring [[Jason Flemyng]] was made in 2005.

==Honours==

Corbett received the [[Kaisar-i-Hind Medal]] in the [[1928 New Year Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33343 |supp=y |page=7 |date= 30 December 1927}}</ref> He was made a Companion of the [[Order of the Indian Empire]] in the King's [[1946 Birthday Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=37598 |supp=y |page=2763 |date= 4 June 1946}}</ref>

===Items named in honour of Jim Corbett's life and work===

* A reserve area known as Hailey National Park covering 323.75 km<sup>2</sup> (125.00 sq mi) was created in 1936, when Sir Malcolm Hailey was the Governor of United Provinces; and Asia's first national park came into existence. The reserve was renamed in 1954–55 as Ramganga National Park and was again renamed in 1955–56 as [[Jim Corbett National Park]].
* The [[indochinese tiger]] was named after Jim Corbett in 1968 by [[Vratislav Mazak]] who was the first to describe the new subspecies of the tiger living in Southeast Asia

==Books==

[[File:Powalgarh.jpg|thumb|right|Jim Corbett with the slain [[Bachelor of Powalgarh]]]]

* ''Jungle Stories''. Privately published in 1935 (only 100 copies)
:Contents: ''Wild Life in the Village: An Appeal, The Pipal Pani Tiger, The Fish of My Dreams, A Lost Paradise, The Terror that Walks by Night, Purna Girl and Its Mysterious Lights, The Chowgarh Tigers''
* ''[[Man-Eaters of Kumaon]]''. Oxford University Press, Bombay 1944
:Contents: ''Author's note (causes of man-eating), The Champawat Maneater, Robin, Chowgarh Tigers, The Bachelor of Powalgarh, The Mohan Maneater, Fish of my dreams, The Kanda Maneater, The Pipal Pani tiger, The Thak Man-eater, Just Tigers''
* ''The Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag''. Oxford University Press, 1947

:Contents: ''The Pilgrim Road, The Man-Eater, Terror, Arrival, Investigation, The First Kill, Locating the Leopard, The Second Kill, Preparations, Magic, A Near Escape, The Gin Trap, The Hunters Hunted, Retreat, Fishing Interlude, Death of a Goat, Cyanide Poisoning, Touch and Go, A Lesson in Caution, A Wild Boar Hunt, Vigil on a Pine Tree, My Night of Terror, Leopard Fights Leopard, A Shot in the Dark, Epilogue''
* ''My India''. Oxford University Press, 1952
:Contents: ''Dedication & Introduction, The Queen of the Village, Kunwar Singh, Mothi, Pre Red Tape Days, The Law of the Jungle, The Brothers, Sultana: India's Robin Hood, Loyalty, Budhu, Lalajee, Chamari, Life at Mokameh Ghat''
* ''Jungle Lore''. Oxford University Press, 1953
:Contents: ''Introduction by Martin Booth, Dansay, Learning to Shoot, Magog, Looking Back, Jungle Encounters, Categories, Jungle Lore, Calls of the Jungle, School Days / Cadets, Forest Fire & Beats, Game Tracks, Jungle Sensitiveness''
* ''The Temple Tiger and More Man-eaters of Kumaon''. Oxford University Press, 1954
:Contents: ''The Temple Tiger, The Muktesar Man-Eater, The Panar Man-Eater, The Chuka Man-Eater, The Talla Des Man-Eater, Epilogue''
* ''Tree Tops''. Oxford University Press, 1955 (short 30-page novella)
* ''Jim Corbett's India – Selections by R. E. Hawkins''. Oxford University Press, 1978
:Contents: ''Introduction, Kunwar Singh, Schooldays, Loyalty, Life at Mokameh Ghat, Mothi, The Law of the Jungles, The Muktesar Man-eater, The Panar Leopard, Goongi (previously unpublished), The Pipal Pani Tiger, The Pilgrim Road, Terror, Vigil on a Pine Tree, The Chowgarh Tigers, The Bachelor of Powalgarh, The Fish of My Dreams, Robin, Wild Life in the Village-An Appeal (previously unpublished), The Mohan Man-Eater, Just Tigers, On Man-Eating, Looking Back''
* ''My Kumaon: Uncollected Writings''. Oxford University Press, 2012
:Contents: ''Publisher's Note; Timeline; Preface: 'How I Came To Write'; A Life Well Lived: An Introduction To Jim Corbett By Lord Hailey; Section One: The Unpublished Corbett—The Night Jar's Egg; 'One Of Us'; From My Jungle Camp; The Rudraprayag Letters; Corbett On The Man-Eating Leopard Of Rudraprayag; The Making Of Corbett's My India: Correspondence With His Editors; 'Shooting' Tigers: Corbett And The Camera; Wildlife In The Village: An Environmental Appeal; An Englishman In India; Life In Kenya; Section Two: Corbett And His Audience-'The Artlessness Of His Art'; The Man Revealed: Corbett In His Writings; The Universal Appeal Of Jim Corbett: Letters And Reviews; Deliverance For Rudraprayag: Reactions To The Slaying Of The Man-Eating Leopard By Corbett; Corbett's Influence: Man-Eaters Of Kumaon And The Chindwara Court Case; Epigraph''

==See also==
* [[Literary references to Nainital#Jim Corbett|Literary references to Nainital]]
* [[Kenneth Anderson (writer)|Kenneth Anderson]], writer in South India
* [[Indian natural history#Hunter-naturalists|Hunter-naturalists of India]]
* [[List of famous big game hunters]]
* [[Project Tiger]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|author=Durga Charan Kala|title=Jim Corbett of Kumaon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XSZ2nQEACAAJ|year=1979|publisher=Ravi Dayal Publishers}}
* {{cite book|author=Martin Booth|author-link=Martin Booth|title=Carpet Sahib: A Life of Jim Corbett|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jgyDQgAACAAJ|year=1986|publisher=Constable|isbn=978-0-09-467400-4}}
* {{cite book|author=Miriam Davidson|title=Convictions of the Heart: Jim Corbett and the Sanctuary Movement|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SiP7AYE1qm8C|year=1988|publisher=University of Arizona Press|isbn=978-0-8165-1034-4}}
* {{cite book|author=Tim Werling|title=Jim Corbett: Master of the Jungle|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=79MFAAAACAAJ|date=1 December 1998|publisher=Safari Press, Incorporated|isbn=978-1-57157-104-5}}
* {{cite book|author=Jerry A. Jaleel|title=Under the Shadow of Man-eaters: The Life and Legend of Jim Corbett of Kumaon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cNhSCnctuQ4C|date=1 January 2001|publisher=Orient Longman|isbn=978-81-250-2020-2}}
* {{cite book|author=Anand S. Khati|title=Jim Corbett of India: Life & Legend of a Messiah|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UiTbAAAAMAAJ|date=1 January 2003|publisher=Pelican Creations International|isbn=978-81-86738-10-8}}
* {{cite book|author=A. J. T. Johnsingh|author-link=A. J. T. Johnsingh|title=On Jim Corbett's Trail and Other Tales from Tree-tops|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KoCejHiL2CIC|year=2004|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=978-81-7824-081-7}}
* {{cite book|author=Reeta Dutta Gupta|title=Jim Corbett : The Hunter Conservationist|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LCDZcwaTyBcC&pg=PT113|date=1 April 2006|publisher=Rupa & Company|isbn=978-81-291-0893-7}}
* {{cite book|author=Peter Byrne|title=Gentlemen Hunter|date=1 January 2007|publisher=Safari Press|isbn=978-1571572257}}
* {{cite book|author=Priyvrat Gadhvi, Preetum Gheerawo, Manfred Waltl, [[Joseph Jordania]], Fernando Quevedo de Oliveira|title=Behind Jim Corbett's Stories: An Analytical Journey to 'Corbett's Places' and Unanswered Questions|url=http://www.josephjordania.com/files/47-Corbert-book.pdf|date=25 March 2016|publisher=Logos|isbn=978-9941-437-92-2}}
* {{cite book|author=Preetum Gheerawo, Manfred Waltl, Ali Akhtar, Priyvrat Gadhvi, [[Joseph Jordania]], Fernando Quevedo de Oliveira|title=Behind Jim Corbett's Stories: Volume 2|url=http://www.josephjordania.com/files/1-Behind-Jim-Corbertt-s-Stories-Vol-2-FULL-BOOK-for-INTERNET.pdf|date=19 April 2020|publisher=Logos|isbn=978-9941-468-85-8}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Jim Corbett}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130102223657/http://latestbookreviews.net/my-kumaon-uncollected-writings-by-jim-corbett-book-review/ My Kumaon: Uncollected Writings by Jim Corbett - Book Review]
* [https://jimcorbettdiscussions.weebly.com/ "Jim Corbett International Research Group" website and FB discussion page]
* [http://www.corbettfoundation.org/ The Corbett Foundation India]
* [http://www.respectance.com/JIM_CORBETT Jim Corbett Tribute and Memorial website]
* [https://www.corbett-national-park.in/ Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corbett, Jim}}
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[[Category:British hunters]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
[[Category:Indian hunters]]
[[Category:Indian naturalists]]
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[[Category:People from Nainital]]
[[Category:Indian conservationists]]
[[Category:British conservationists]]
[[Category:Indian people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal]]
[[Category:British Indian Army officers]]