Why not seeing a tiger at Corbett no disaster

While there may be a tiger on the cover, this lavishly illustrated guidebook goes much beyond that, with the authors emphasising that there’s far more to be seen and appreciated in one of our premier tiger reserves than just the tiger. It is a wonderful compendium of the fauna and flora that you may encounter in the Corbett Tiger Reserve, from elephants to dung-beetles, and great sal trees to fuzzy thistles.

The book is sorted in three parts: the first provides information on the natural and historical settings of the park as well as an introduction to nomenclature. This part gives you your bearings as to where the park is located in terms of the Himalayan ranges.

The second — and major part of the book — describes the fauna and flora through photographs and brief write-ups. It also provides nuggets of useful information — such as the importance of the role of bees — and tips on photography and likely locations where a particular species may be seen. There are checklists too giving both the common and scientific name of the species.

The third section provides information on visiting the CTR, the various safari routes inside, the different gates through which they can be accessed (after obtaining permission, of course), with the help of route maps, accommodation, and areas of interest around the park. There’s information on the seasons and also the do’s and don’ts while visiting the park.

What is refreshing is that time and again the authors emphasise that not seeing a tiger does not mean that your visit has been a disaster — because of the wealth of other fauna and flora — that can be appreciated.

The book is well and simply designed, the photographs (from various contributors) are excellent. After a day in the park, you could leaf through this book for other background stories, like the short biography of Jim Corbett. Also, many of the species described — especially of insects, spiders and plants — can be found in areas outside the park — even as far away as New Delhi — thus enhancing its appeal.

Perhaps what would have been useful, is some information on the facilities available just outside the park, where the majority of the visitors would have to stay, as well as some of the problems arising from tourism (for example, noise from tourist lodges at the edge of the park) and the issues that the park authorities have to face. The editing could also have been a little tighter: there’s a distressing absence of the definite article (the) in many sentences that jars!

Both the authors are long-time wildlife enthusiasts — and this book obviously a labour of love. It should in fact serve as a template for similar books brought out on all our national parks, sanctuaries and tiger reserves. The only way to kindle interests is to have information available easily, clearly and attractively — and this book certainly achieves that.

I visited Corbett Park many, many years ago and remember being mesmerised by brilliant green damselflies, hovering low over a stream. I had no clue as to what they were, but there they were in this book: Stream Glories!

For anyone visiting CTR, taking this book along is a no-brainer.

Wildlife in and Around Corbett National Park: A Photographic Guide

Rajesh Chaudhary & Vinesh Kumar

Niyogi Books

pp. 400; Rs 1,495