Nestling in the foothills of the
Himalayas, Corbett National Park has extremely varied topography and
vegetation. This gives it a rich diversity of habitat and natural beauty.
Flat valleys are interspersed with hilly ridges and the park's rolling
grasslands known as the 'Chaurs' provide visitors with an excellent view of
the animals.
Sal And Its Associates
The
reserve is especially notable for its Sal (Shorea Robusta), one of the major
construction timbers of the country. Sal grows gregariously, along with a
few so-called 'Sal Associates', and magnificent stands of almost pure Sal
are to be found both in the hill ridges and in the flat valley.
Sal predominates in the tree forests, and among its familiar 'associates'
here may be mentioned the 'Rohini' (Mallotus Philippinesis) for which wild
Elephants seem to have a penchant, and the Karipak ('Jalneem' locally) to
supply the entire requirement of all the kitchens in the south, and it is
unknown to the culinary culture of Uttar Pradesh! The 'Mota Sal' stand at
Dhikala is especially notable, with the trees of robust girth towering some
33m in the south.
Mixed Dry Deciduous Trees
There are mixed Dry Deciduous Forests on the Bhabar flats, featuring such
trees as the Ber, Kurha, Bael, Dhak, and occasional Simal, Jhingan and Khair
. Prominent in the under shrubs are Marorphali, species of Grewia and
Rohini.
The forests on the rugged Shiwalik (also spelt as Siwalik) sand rocks occur
mostly to the south of the reserve and contain a sprinkling of Sal, but the
main species of these mixed forests are: Bakli, Khair, Jhingan, Tendu, Pula
and Sain with the Chir Pine in places.
Good stands of Sal occur in the flat country, in the Shiwalik conglomerate
forests. Along the Ramganga are stands of 'Sheesham', mostly of young trees,
and occasionally lone 'Simal' trees.
The Chuars
The 'Chuars' constitute an important and characteristic part of the
reserve, providing most of the grazing to the herbivores. A Chaur is a flat
grassy black, sometimes quite extensive, and the important 'Chuars' are at
Dhikala (Partly inundated now), Phulai, Khinanauli, Paterpani, Mohanpani,
Bhadhai and Bijrani. These are generally man made being the reversion of
abandoned cultivation to wildness, and carry many herbs and both tall and
short grasses, and provide fodder to herbivores from Hog Deer to Elephants,
and in places cover for the predators.
The Nullahs and ravines that go deep into the tree forests are of no less
importance to the animals. These hold brakes of Bamboo along their margins
and also of thick shrub growth, useful both as fodder and as cover. The
thick brakes of a succulent plant, Ardisia Solanacea (and A. Floribunda),
provide all herbivores with a source of life giving water during the driest
months.
The lifeline of the Park is the sparkling Ramganga river which provides
safe harbor to mahaseer fish, crocodile and other species.
There are over 110 varieties of trees, 51 species of shrubs and over 33
kinds of bamboo and grasses.
A Home for Vanishing species
The protective environment of Corbett Park has kept some endangered species
of the world hit list have been safe and thriving, like the hog deer which
has been virtually saved from extinction.
Project Tiger, which was set up with the help of the World Wildlife Fund,
was launched at Dhikala, in the Corbett National Park on April 1, 1973. This
project was aimed at saving the Indian Tiger (Panthera Tigris) from
extinction.
At last count, the numbers had increased substantially. Apart from Tigers
(90 in number in 1984), leopards as well as lesser cats such as the leopard
cat, jungle cat, and fishing cat are also found here. The sloth bear,
Himalayan black bear, dhole, jackal, yellow throated marten, Himalayan palm
civet, Indian grey mongoose, common otter, porcupine, black naped hare are
the other attractions of this area. It is possible to see elephants all over
the park. Corbett is also the only home of the rare Indian pagolin. Consider
yourself supremely blessed if you spot one!
Tiger
Corbett
is one of the most congested parks in India with a ratio of 1 tiger to every
5 acres. Gullies, ravines and thick forest cover give tigers the right kind
of habitat. And herdes of deer, particularly the sambar, plenty of food. The
tiger is reclusive, but can be somewhat predictable in its beat. You are
more likely to spot a tiger close near a ater body than to meet him or her
accidentally on the forest path!
Asiatic Elephant
What warns you is the sharp tang of freshly crushed vegetation and the
sound of leaves being torn. Seeing elephants in the wild is a raw,
exhilarating experience. The Corbett Park is the best place in Northern
India to observe them at fairly close quarters. About 300 - 350 Asiatic
elephants roam around the park in herds, along the river Ramganga or
foraging in the grasslands.
The forests provide the elephants enough food. The elephant's daily diet is
perked up with wild berries and fruits which are available aplenty.
Bird-lovers Paradise
The park, with its rich bio-geographic diversity, is home to more than 600
species of birds - about half of the total species found in the entire
Indian subcontinent! You can see parakeets, owls, orioles, drongos,
thrushes, babblers, bulbuls, cuckoos, doves, bee eaters, rollers,
flycatchers, warblers, robins, chats, finches, forktails, hornbills,
kingfishers and many many more. It is also possibly one of the best places
in the world for observing birds of prey.
Many of these birds are migratory: the park forms a natural crossroad and
meeting ground for avian species from high altitude areas, plains and
eastern and western regions.
