Corbett's Platinum Jubilee begins, Imran Khan

2011 marks Corbett Tiger Reserve’s Platinum Jubilee year that commemorates India’s pioneering wildlife conservation effort of establishing Asia’s first protected forest in 1936.

For the first time since Project Tiger’s inception in 1973 an India-wide survey reveals a marked increase in tiger numbers. A 12% rise to around 1800 tigers from 1411 in 2008, despite an overall shrinkage of habitat by 6%, is good news. However, this demands a greater push toward scientific management of the reserves as well as better relations with peripheral human settlements. This may only be possible with the intervention of chief ministers of the 17 tiger states in the country.

The Corbett landscape has been in the limelight recently, especially because of increasing tiger numbers, rising levels of man-animal conflict and a sizeable increase in the number of tourists and tourist facilities operating without a wildlife tourism policy. Positive and wider awareness about conservation at the grass root level, while building up of a strong political will for the tigers may be the main ingredients toward a successful celebration of Corbett’s 75 years of existence. The greatest inspiration comes from the sightings of around 25 - 35 cubs, caught on camera via camera traps laid across the sanctuary.

With the launch of Corbett’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, a number of events have already taken place:

* A tiger monitoring and conservation workshop, held in New Delhi and Dhikala, was attended by some of the greatest field workers, including Dr George Schaller, an authority on big cats and their habitat management; Dr Siedenstiecker, a leading gene biologist on big cat inbreeding and possible repercussions, and a plethora of government and non-government representatives. The outcome of the workshop was to refocus emphasis on foot patrolling, beat management, wide use of camera traps and monitoring of the pugmarks.

* A workshop titled “Tourism & Tiger” with active participation from local politicians, villagers, print media and forest personnel, which resulted in positive and constructive discussions on responsible and irresponsible tourism. The end result of the daylong discussions suggested that responsible tourism is the best tool for conservation.

* A World Bank team of tiger conservation experts from U.S.A., Australia, England and Italy visited Corbett and discussed funding opportunities for better conservation techniques. During their discussions at Jim’s Jungle Retreat, we presented ideas on promoting ecosystem farming to give land back to the tiger for its forest corridors.

Other events will occur through the year in Dehradun and Corbett. By November 15 the Prime Minister is expected to close the year-long celebrations with the launch of a coffee table book on Corbett.

CORBETT IN WINTER

Place - Jim's Jungle Retreat

Quarterly Update - Imran Khan

One of the heaviest monsoons in recent memory set us up for a severe winter. While it can be very cold during safaris, winter probably is the best time to view Corbett Tiger Reserve: its multitudinous landscape of varying habitats, floral and faunal features, offers itself in a spectacular way, with incredible wildlife sightings of the tiger, leopard, elephants and hundreds of birds and butterflies. The late September monsoon showers were excessive this
year, unfortunately, and caused severe damage to the road networks inside the park.

Several roads in Bijrani and Dhikala tourism zones which had washed away are now being repaired, slowly returning the entire tourism zone to its pre-monsoon status. The water level of Ramganga reservoir in Dhikala tourism zone also is receding now, while the devastated Sambhar Road is finally returning to its preeminent status as a prime ecotone area between river and forest for large mammal and raptor (birds of prey) sighting.

There has been a salubrious effect of the late monsoons however. In the drier regions of the park, several of the water holes continue to retain water, thereby playing a vital role in the early pairing of tigers in Bijrani as well as Jhirna. This pairing movement of the male and female has led to an increase in tiger sightings, as a pair of animals is more easily exposed by the ever-vigilant prey that give alarm calls to warn others.

TIGERS ABOUND, BEARS SHOW UP

In Jhirna, a female with three growing cubs has been active and regularly sighted. In fact, we have had incredible tiger sightings at either the Bijrani or Jhirna zone over the last two months, with nearly 85% of the retreat's visitors having seen a tiger or two!

During interactions with the Corbett research team responsible for laying camera traps to establish the tiger count here, I was informed there are around 20-25 cubs with their mothers in Corbett today, which is an incredible adult-to-cub sex ratio for any single reserve in the entire distribution range of the tigers!

Tiger, Bijrani Photo: Majid Hussain

Meantime, the Tendu, Ebony or Beedi leaf tree and Jungle berries (ber) have started fruiting and there have been regular sloth bear pug mark and droppings seen at to these groves. Most deer, especially the spotted deer variety are in their prime velvet stage of their antler growth and the rubbing off their antlers against the trunk of the trees and bushes has started. You will notice a distinct redness to  tree trunks at a height of about three to four feet where the antlers have been.

Jhirna over the years has attained the distinction of harboring a resident elephant population and nearly every safari has sighted these gentle giants, with many baby elephants now part of the larger matriarch-led group. 

Tusker at Jhirna Photo: Daleep Akoi

BIRDING TIME!

Corbett's bird life is especially worthy of spending time here now. The park is a cacophony of birdsong. Thanks to the fruiting of various ficus species such as Ficus glomerata, Ficus elastica and Schleichera Oleosa or Kusum one can see several mixed flocks of Minivets, Grey-headed canary flycatchers, Bronzed-winged drongos, Verditer flycatchers,  Grey-capped pygmy woodpecker, Common woodshrike, both species of Nuthatches and the Grey-hooded warblers. 

Blue-tailed bee-eater, Merops philippinus. Photo: Daleep Akoi

Chestnut-headed bee-eaters and Blue-tailed bee-eaters have gone back to their parent habitats while the Blue-bearded bee-eaters have arrived for breeding. The blue-bearded bee-eater is one of several top forest canopy species, along with two species of leafbirds, while the Oriental pied hornbill and Great hornbill have started “gackling” their casks, indicating the onset of breeding. One can see flocks of them on safaris in Jhirna.


Mid-canopied birds such as orioles and woodpeckers have also started breeding. All three species of orioles including the Corbett-specific Maroon oriole are heard on the jeep as well as on walking safaris. The three species of the flameback woodpecker and other mid-sized woodpeckers have paired for breeding too. Constant vocalisation and fluttering in the trees will point their presence to you.

Brown-headed Stork-billed Kingfisher, Pelargopsis capensis Photo: Daleep Akoi

One of our guests has captured a picture of a Black stork perching on a tree, unique, as they are usually seen on riverbeds. The Ibisbill has been sighted regularly along the Kosi river on the eastern periphery and this season there have been two individuals roaming the river bed, unlike the past where only a solitary bird was sighted. Among the raptors, the Pallas’s Fishing eagle and the Changeable hawk eagles have been seen with chicks.

Meantime, I was made privy to an interesting sighting by a regular visitor to Corbett: It is very unusual for a Pied kingfisher to make its nest at this time of the year, but surprisingly there was not one but two adults sighted, fluttering about building a nest close to Dhangarhi Sot around 10 days ago. To our greater surprise, these nests weren't being built to rear more young, but to teach existing youngsters the art of building a perfect nest!