WWF-India's National Nature Camping Programme - Corbett Report
Background
This was the first time Corbett was chosen as the campsite under the National Nature Camping Programme banner. The camp was conducted by the Field Director–Nature Camps, WWF-India, Mr.Preston Ahimaz and Programme Officer-Nature Camps, WWF-India, Ms. Aarti Verma.
Corbett National Park
India’s first National Park, named after the legendary hunter turned conservationist - Jim Corbett – lies the North Indian state of Uttaranchal in the foothills of the Kumaon Himalayas, close to Ramnagar, a linear town stretched along one bank of the Kosi river. This 520 skm. park is located in the north Indian state of Uttaranchal at a distance of 260 kms from Delhi and 128 kms from Nainital. Corbett was the first park to be designated as a Project Tiger Reserve (in 1973), and was primarily set up to save the animals and plants of the Ramganga river valley, particularly the tiger and the fish-eating Gharial. It is famous for its richness and diversity, sheltering over 50 species of mammals and over 580 species of birds.
Corbett lies in the terai (moist land), a belt of marshy jungle and grassland stretching between the foothills of the Himalayas and the Indian plains. Nearly 73% of the park is covered by dense moist deciduous forest with a predominance of Sal trees, accompanied by haldu, papal, rohini, and mango trees interspersed with stretches of savannah-type grasslands where antelope, chital, hog deer and sambar graze. The headquarters of the Reserve is at the town of Ramnagar. The prime accommodation inside Corbett national park is located at Dhilkala. The best time to visit the park is between January and mid-June.
The Campsite
About 11 km. from Ramnagar town, in Dhela village at the southern periphery of the National Park, is Jim's Jungle Retreat, which served as the site for the present camp. The retreat is an oasis of beauty and birdlife, and was an ideal getaway from the trappings of urban life. Surrounded by forest, unworked plantations and quiet agricultural expanses, the retreat gave the campers a subtle blend of wilderness and modern day comforts. The thatched private cottages, unique in their construction and built with local materials, were spacious, with attached modern bathrooms and a private verandah from which to enjoy the sights and sounds of the jungle. The Retreat also had a swimming pool in which to cool off after enjoyable treks in the jungles. Meals were organized in a spacious, thatched Golghar restaurant offering Indian, Chinese, Continental & Kumaoni cuisine, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian.
The campsite owner and host was Mr. Imran Khan, a trained field biologist who has studied tigers in Corbett for years and has a wealth of technical and scientific knowledge about the flora and fauna of the region. Imran and his well-trained team ensured that facilities at site were well organized, comfortable and enjoyable.
THE CAMP
Day 1 - 9th March, Friday
The Field Director arrived at site a couple of days ahead to ensure arrangements and, along with Mr. Khan, received the campers, who were accompanied by the Programme Officer, at Ramnagar station early in the morning and escorted them to campsite. As the jeeps bumped across the pebbly river bed to the campsite, the silhouette of a sloth bear disappearing into the bush and rufous-tailed hare were spotted, heralding the shape of things to come. The campers settled in and proceeded for breakfast after which they were addressed by Imran who presented an informative talk on Corbett.
Later, the party set out, with a provided guide, into the village of Dhela, situated behind the retreat. Almost all the staff employed at the retreat are residents of the village. This boded well for the success of the establishment as well as for conservation because it earned the goodwill and cooperation of the villagers who were now receptive to the conservation ethos. The campers got to witness the simplicity and beauty of the lifestyles of people living there and understand human– animal relationships. An exciting checklist of birds, including grey hornbill, black kite, spotted owlet, white wagtail, sandpiper, black drongo, parakeets, & sunbirds emerged as well, making for a satiated – if somewhat stretched – group that returned to the campsite for lunch.
Post lunch, after a rest, the campers were taken on jungle trek. The trail passed through a eucalyptus plantation and across the dry riverbed. Tiger pugmarks in the sand generated a lot of excitement amongst the campers as did a herd of chital (spotted deer) which quickly sprinted towards the woods on sighting the group! Many raptors and a bull Neelgai (or bluebull), the biggest Indian Antelope, were also seen. Some campers collected a few colorful rocks as keepsakes. A very interesting sighting was made by a camper – a small, black spider, thought to belong to the Lactrodactus genus, to which the dangerous black widow spider belongs. If it is indeed so, this is a very rare sighting! Unfortunately it was not checked on the spot and was photographed from the underside, which does not help identification. At sunset, the campers headed back towards the campsite.
In the evening, Imran presented a slide show on the flora and fauna of Corbett Reserve, which provided insights into animal behavior and the dynamics of the forest. After the presentation, the campers proceeded for a scrumptious meal around a bonfire, which was made even more exciting with the alarm call of a Sambhar, probably made on suspicion of a lurking predator!
Day 2 - 10th March, Saturday
Day Two got off to an early start with a jeep safari into the jungle at the Jhirna range. As the two vehicles departed, the weather was cold but gradually opened up as the day went by. The first few sightings were that of a huge sambhar stag, a jackal and some wild boar. Rhesus macaques (after which the RH factor in human blood is named) which are the resident species of monkey here, were spotted in large numbers along with the black faced, or common, langur, chital and a barking deer. A myriad of birds were sighted as well like the red jungle fowl, the Himalayan whistling thrush, babblers, kingfishers, kites, red-vented bulbuls, bee-eaters, lapwings, woodpeckers, culminating in the oriental pied hornbills and the khalij pheasants. The campers also witnessed a thrilling fight between two peacocks. A tall machan in the forest provided a wonderful view of a river and a tame but belligerent blackbuck (brought in from elsewhere) and chital stag provided for some close encounters.
After breakfast, a few campers set out for a short walk in the woods, the others opting to stay back and relax. Tiger scat (droppings) containing sambar hair which informed that the deer had been dined upon, flushing of two nightjars disturbed during their roost, high-flying vultures identified by their broad wings and very shot tails and a woodpecker hammering away for a meal provided the entertainment on this trail.
In the evening, on a nature trail along the riverbed, the group spotted footprints of tiger, elephant, chital, monkeys and peacocks in the sand. Campers were also encouraged to concentrate on lesser life forms like insects during the trails. A herd of female neelgai, the Indian grey mongoose, Indian roller, parakeets, drongos & kingfishers made up the trail checklist. At sunset, the campers returned to campsite for an entertaining folk dance program performed by the local village folk.
Day 3 - 11th March, Sunday
After breakfast, the party set out for a jeep ride to a distant wetland known as Tumariya Dam, courtesy Imran Khan. This very productive trip took off with a magnificent crested serpent eagle which, the campers were told, can turn its head a full 180 degrees to scan for prey! Racket-tailed drongos, bushchats, barbets, rose-ringed parakeets, orioles and butterflies like the lemon pansy, plain tiger, blue tiger, common immigrant and common sailor were seen. A 7-foot tall termite hill was inspected and campers were informed about its construction and maintenance. The group visited a Gujjar settlement where they were offered buttermilk (chach) by their hosts. Campers observed the construction of the dwellings and interacted with the owners on their lifestyles. Interestingly, it was noticed that solar panels were being used. At another stop at a rural jaggery Bhatti (plant) the group saw how jaggery (gur) was prepared from sugar syrup before being taken to the market. A welcomed spin-off from this visit was a lump of warm, fresh jaggery for everyone!
The wetland itself presented a panoramic spread of lush, green expanse dotted with cattle, buffalos and sheep which did not interfere with the birdflife there. White or woolly-necked storks, a painted stork, saras cranes (the world’s tallest flying birds), black ibises and great crested grebes formed the highlights of the visit. Other birds included the Brahminy shelduck, Cormorants, lapwings, mallard, shoveler, tufted and spotbilled ducks, sandpipers, coots, kingfishers, wagtails, common moorhens, great white herons, white-bellied gulls, black kites and others. A packed lunch was served to all atop a sluice tower from where a checkered keelback (water snake) was spotted, leading to an excited dash to the edge of the water! After lunch the group returned to the campsite.
At the end of the day a film show – Lord of the Wild – was screened, which depicted the magnificence of the tiger and focused on the reasons for its endangered status like poaching, habitat loss, trafficking etc.
Day 4 - 12th March, Monday
The last day of camp got off to a cold and rainy start, but the campers were in bright spirits and eager to take the Canter (sheltered mini-bus) ride into the jungles of Corbett. With hopes of seeing a tiger high, all eyes were peeled throughout the ride. The landscape was beautiful – dense forest broken by wide, open river beds with mountains in the distance. Herds of chital with fawns were seen, with many males in velvet, a condition during which the antlers are growing and tender and covered with a soft, velvety skin. Sambhar, langur and peacocks were also spotted. At Dhikala, the group took a break for lunch where rhesus macaque, wild boar and a few domesticated elephants were seen at the site. After lunch, the ride resumed and passed through the grasslands called Chaurs, typical of this area. A herd of hog deer, medium-sized deer which move in a pig-like manner, were sighted near the water bed. A changeable hawk-eagle and a hovering black-shouldered kite made the bird list, along with a huge unidentified eagle, lapwings, hoopoe and others. On the way back an elephant herd completed the day! A stop was made at the crocodile pool, a panoramic point high above the beautiful Ramganga river, from where a lone, large, mature male fish-eating gharial, complete with the diagnostic swelling (ghara) on its snout-tip, was seen. Back at the starting point, campers visited a museum run by the Department which had interesting exhibits but was poorly maintained. After shopping for various souvenirs at a small shop near the gate, the group left for basecamp. And although the tiger was not seen, anticipating it’s presence was exciting enough!!
Before dinner, the Field Director addressed all the campers with a talk on WWF-India Nature Camps and its aims and objectives. T-shirts, certificates and pledge cards were distributed and the Pledge to Nature was read out by all the campers.
Dinner was served and after thanking the host, Mr. Imran Khan, for his kind hospitality, the campers left for the station to board the train back to New Delhi.
This was the first time Corbett was chosen as the campsite under the National Nature Camping Programme banner. The camp was conducted by the Field Director–Nature Camps, WWF-India, Mr.Preston Ahimaz and Programme Officer-Nature Camps, WWF-India, Ms. Aarti Verma.
Corbett National Park
India’s first National Park, named after the legendary hunter turned conservationist - Jim Corbett – lies the North Indian state of Uttaranchal in the foothills of the Kumaon Himalayas, close to Ramnagar, a linear town stretched along one bank of the Kosi river. This 520 skm. park is located in the north Indian state of Uttaranchal at a distance of 260 kms from Delhi and 128 kms from Nainital. Corbett was the first park to be designated as a Project Tiger Reserve (in 1973), and was primarily set up to save the animals and plants of the Ramganga river valley, particularly the tiger and the fish-eating Gharial. It is famous for its richness and diversity, sheltering over 50 species of mammals and over 580 species of birds.
Corbett lies in the terai (moist land), a belt of marshy jungle and grassland stretching between the foothills of the Himalayas and the Indian plains. Nearly 73% of the park is covered by dense moist deciduous forest with a predominance of Sal trees, accompanied by haldu, papal, rohini, and mango trees interspersed with stretches of savannah-type grasslands where antelope, chital, hog deer and sambar graze. The headquarters of the Reserve is at the town of Ramnagar. The prime accommodation inside Corbett national park is located at Dhilkala. The best time to visit the park is between January and mid-June.
The Campsite
About 11 km. from Ramnagar town, in Dhela village at the southern periphery of the National Park, is Jim's Jungle Retreat, which served as the site for the present camp. The retreat is an oasis of beauty and birdlife, and was an ideal getaway from the trappings of urban life. Surrounded by forest, unworked plantations and quiet agricultural expanses, the retreat gave the campers a subtle blend of wilderness and modern day comforts. The thatched private cottages, unique in their construction and built with local materials, were spacious, with attached modern bathrooms and a private verandah from which to enjoy the sights and sounds of the jungle. The Retreat also had a swimming pool in which to cool off after enjoyable treks in the jungles. Meals were organized in a spacious, thatched Golghar restaurant offering Indian, Chinese, Continental & Kumaoni cuisine, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian.
The campsite owner and host was Mr. Imran Khan, a trained field biologist who has studied tigers in Corbett for years and has a wealth of technical and scientific knowledge about the flora and fauna of the region. Imran and his well-trained team ensured that facilities at site were well organized, comfortable and enjoyable.
THE CAMP
Day 1 - 9th March, Friday
The Field Director arrived at site a couple of days ahead to ensure arrangements and, along with Mr. Khan, received the campers, who were accompanied by the Programme Officer, at Ramnagar station early in the morning and escorted them to campsite. As the jeeps bumped across the pebbly river bed to the campsite, the silhouette of a sloth bear disappearing into the bush and rufous-tailed hare were spotted, heralding the shape of things to come. The campers settled in and proceeded for breakfast after which they were addressed by Imran who presented an informative talk on Corbett.
Later, the party set out, with a provided guide, into the village of Dhela, situated behind the retreat. Almost all the staff employed at the retreat are residents of the village. This boded well for the success of the establishment as well as for conservation because it earned the goodwill and cooperation of the villagers who were now receptive to the conservation ethos. The campers got to witness the simplicity and beauty of the lifestyles of people living there and understand human– animal relationships. An exciting checklist of birds, including grey hornbill, black kite, spotted owlet, white wagtail, sandpiper, black drongo, parakeets, & sunbirds emerged as well, making for a satiated – if somewhat stretched – group that returned to the campsite for lunch.
Post lunch, after a rest, the campers were taken on jungle trek. The trail passed through a eucalyptus plantation and across the dry riverbed. Tiger pugmarks in the sand generated a lot of excitement amongst the campers as did a herd of chital (spotted deer) which quickly sprinted towards the woods on sighting the group! Many raptors and a bull Neelgai (or bluebull), the biggest Indian Antelope, were also seen. Some campers collected a few colorful rocks as keepsakes. A very interesting sighting was made by a camper – a small, black spider, thought to belong to the Lactrodactus genus, to which the dangerous black widow spider belongs. If it is indeed so, this is a very rare sighting! Unfortunately it was not checked on the spot and was photographed from the underside, which does not help identification. At sunset, the campers headed back towards the campsite.
In the evening, Imran presented a slide show on the flora and fauna of Corbett Reserve, which provided insights into animal behavior and the dynamics of the forest. After the presentation, the campers proceeded for a scrumptious meal around a bonfire, which was made even more exciting with the alarm call of a Sambhar, probably made on suspicion of a lurking predator!
Day 2 - 10th March, Saturday
Day Two got off to an early start with a jeep safari into the jungle at the Jhirna range. As the two vehicles departed, the weather was cold but gradually opened up as the day went by. The first few sightings were that of a huge sambhar stag, a jackal and some wild boar. Rhesus macaques (after which the RH factor in human blood is named) which are the resident species of monkey here, were spotted in large numbers along with the black faced, or common, langur, chital and a barking deer. A myriad of birds were sighted as well like the red jungle fowl, the Himalayan whistling thrush, babblers, kingfishers, kites, red-vented bulbuls, bee-eaters, lapwings, woodpeckers, culminating in the oriental pied hornbills and the khalij pheasants. The campers also witnessed a thrilling fight between two peacocks. A tall machan in the forest provided a wonderful view of a river and a tame but belligerent blackbuck (brought in from elsewhere) and chital stag provided for some close encounters.
After breakfast, a few campers set out for a short walk in the woods, the others opting to stay back and relax. Tiger scat (droppings) containing sambar hair which informed that the deer had been dined upon, flushing of two nightjars disturbed during their roost, high-flying vultures identified by their broad wings and very shot tails and a woodpecker hammering away for a meal provided the entertainment on this trail.
In the evening, on a nature trail along the riverbed, the group spotted footprints of tiger, elephant, chital, monkeys and peacocks in the sand. Campers were also encouraged to concentrate on lesser life forms like insects during the trails. A herd of female neelgai, the Indian grey mongoose, Indian roller, parakeets, drongos & kingfishers made up the trail checklist. At sunset, the campers returned to campsite for an entertaining folk dance program performed by the local village folk.
Day 3 - 11th March, Sunday
After breakfast, the party set out for a jeep ride to a distant wetland known as Tumariya Dam, courtesy Imran Khan. This very productive trip took off with a magnificent crested serpent eagle which, the campers were told, can turn its head a full 180 degrees to scan for prey! Racket-tailed drongos, bushchats, barbets, rose-ringed parakeets, orioles and butterflies like the lemon pansy, plain tiger, blue tiger, common immigrant and common sailor were seen. A 7-foot tall termite hill was inspected and campers were informed about its construction and maintenance. The group visited a Gujjar settlement where they were offered buttermilk (chach) by their hosts. Campers observed the construction of the dwellings and interacted with the owners on their lifestyles. Interestingly, it was noticed that solar panels were being used. At another stop at a rural jaggery Bhatti (plant) the group saw how jaggery (gur) was prepared from sugar syrup before being taken to the market. A welcomed spin-off from this visit was a lump of warm, fresh jaggery for everyone!
The wetland itself presented a panoramic spread of lush, green expanse dotted with cattle, buffalos and sheep which did not interfere with the birdflife there. White or woolly-necked storks, a painted stork, saras cranes (the world’s tallest flying birds), black ibises and great crested grebes formed the highlights of the visit. Other birds included the Brahminy shelduck, Cormorants, lapwings, mallard, shoveler, tufted and spotbilled ducks, sandpipers, coots, kingfishers, wagtails, common moorhens, great white herons, white-bellied gulls, black kites and others. A packed lunch was served to all atop a sluice tower from where a checkered keelback (water snake) was spotted, leading to an excited dash to the edge of the water! After lunch the group returned to the campsite.
At the end of the day a film show – Lord of the Wild – was screened, which depicted the magnificence of the tiger and focused on the reasons for its endangered status like poaching, habitat loss, trafficking etc.
Day 4 - 12th March, Monday
The last day of camp got off to a cold and rainy start, but the campers were in bright spirits and eager to take the Canter (sheltered mini-bus) ride into the jungles of Corbett. With hopes of seeing a tiger high, all eyes were peeled throughout the ride. The landscape was beautiful – dense forest broken by wide, open river beds with mountains in the distance. Herds of chital with fawns were seen, with many males in velvet, a condition during which the antlers are growing and tender and covered with a soft, velvety skin. Sambhar, langur and peacocks were also spotted. At Dhikala, the group took a break for lunch where rhesus macaque, wild boar and a few domesticated elephants were seen at the site. After lunch, the ride resumed and passed through the grasslands called Chaurs, typical of this area. A herd of hog deer, medium-sized deer which move in a pig-like manner, were sighted near the water bed. A changeable hawk-eagle and a hovering black-shouldered kite made the bird list, along with a huge unidentified eagle, lapwings, hoopoe and others. On the way back an elephant herd completed the day! A stop was made at the crocodile pool, a panoramic point high above the beautiful Ramganga river, from where a lone, large, mature male fish-eating gharial, complete with the diagnostic swelling (ghara) on its snout-tip, was seen. Back at the starting point, campers visited a museum run by the Department which had interesting exhibits but was poorly maintained. After shopping for various souvenirs at a small shop near the gate, the group left for basecamp. And although the tiger was not seen, anticipating it’s presence was exciting enough!!
Before dinner, the Field Director addressed all the campers with a talk on WWF-India Nature Camps and its aims and objectives. T-shirts, certificates and pledge cards were distributed and the Pledge to Nature was read out by all the campers.
Dinner was served and after thanking the host, Mr. Imran Khan, for his kind hospitality, the campers left for the station to board the train back to New Delhi.
