Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, not far from Delhi, has the unique distinction of being India’s first National Park (established in 1936) and also the 1st Tiger Reserve in 1973, under the Project Tiger. It is named after Jim Corbett, who first shot man-eater tigers and leopards with his gun for the sake of humanity, and later turned conservationist who shot wildlife with his camera.
The park has large varieties of wonderful avian and mammalian species such as leopards, jungle cats, leopard cats, otters, hog deer etc. You can spot a herd of spotted deer grazing or a few hog deer feeding on tender shoots. Elephants either cooling themselves in the big reservoir, or in the Ramganga river or busy in satisfying their hunger in the Chaur or in the woods. You can only hear the chirping of birds. Except the spots created for the human habitation by the forest department since the British Raj, for temporary stay inside the park. The places mainly include Dhikala, Sultan, Gairal, Sarapduli, Khinnanauli, Jhirna, and Bijrani.
Lovers of wildlife will be familiar with Dhikala, which is at the heart of Corbett. You are bound to get mesmerized by its flora and fauna, and unique topography. Tigers and the elephants are the star attraction here. It is an experience of a lifetime to observe an elusive tiger in the grassland of the Dhikala, disappearing into the dense Sal forests of the Himalayan foot hills, resting in the grassland, on the riverbed, or under a tree.
I have been visiting Dhikala with my family, a heaven in the midst of the Corbett National Park since 2005. In the summer of 2017, we had by far the closest encounter with the big cat (Parwali or Paro), hardly two meters from me.
We waited at the High Point area on the opposite side of the Forest Guest House at Dhikala, when the tigress came to the path between two safari vehicles, with me in the front one. In such a situation, any wildlife photographer always gives space to the animal in between. The vehicle ahead of me did not move, and the tigress drew closer and closer towards my vehicle. Till she almost touched the vehicle, and we ended up looking into each other eyes. Not finding any space to move she turned back, left the main route and melted into the thick vegetation.
I visited the park on April 22, 2019 (Earth Day) this year, as it was gathered that Parwali now has three cubs, each about 5 to 6 months old, and she is taking them out in the open to familiarise them with the world. She is very cautious as she’s lost cubs in her first two litters. In the day, she goes for hunting leaving her cubs behind in the bushes. In the evening, when she comes back she calls the cubs in an open place, like a riverbed or on the safari route, and showers her love on them. The cubs too express their concern for the mother and satisfy their hunger by drinking her milk. This time I had the luck to record unforgettable moments on my camera. As the summer progresses and the cubs grow, I’m they’d thrill nature lovers like me with life time memories.
(The writer is a wildlife photographer)