Jim Corbett museum is situated at Kaladhungi where Corbett spent his winters while he spent the summers at his house in Nainital. Walking in, you will be welcomed by one of Corbett's well known quotes "A tiger is a large-hearted gentleman with boundless courage and that when he is exterminated - as exterminated he will be unless public opinion rallies to his support - India will be the poorer by having lost the finest of her fauna." The house has been preserved almost exactly as it must have been when Corbett lived here.

Edward James "Jim" Corbett (25 July 1875 in Nainital, India -- 19 April 1955 in Nyeri, Kenya) was a British hunter-turned-conservationist, author and naturalist, famous for hunting a large number of man-eaters in India. Corbett held the rank of colonel in the British Indian Army and was frequently called upon by the government of the United Provinces, now the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, to kill man-eating tigers and leopards that were harassing people in the nearby villages of the Garhwal and Kumaon region. His hunting successes earned him a long-held respect and fame amongst the people residing in the villages of Kumaon. Some even claim that he was considered to be a sadhu (saint) by the locals.

Corbett was an avid photographer and after his retirement, authored the Man-Eaters of Kumaon, Jungle Lore, and other books recounting his hunts and experiences, which enjoyed much critical acclaim and commercial success. Later on in life, Corbett spoke out for the need to protect India's wildlife from extermination and played a key role in creating a national reserve for the endangered Bengal tiger by using his influence to persuade the provincial government to establish it. The national park was renamed Jim Corbett National Park in his honour in 1957 after his death in 1955.

Corbett bought his first camera in the late 1920s, and inspired by his friend Frederick Walter Champion, started to record tigers on cine film. Although he had an intimate knowledge of the jungle, it was a demanding task to obtain good pictures, as the animals were exceedingly shy. Corbett became deeply concerned about the fate of tigers and their habitat. Corbett took to lecturing groups of school children about their natural heritage and the need to conserve forests and their wildlife. He promoted the foundation of the Association for the Preservation of Game in the United Provinces and the All-India Conference for the Preservation of Wildlife. Together with Champion he played a key role in establishing India's first national park in the Kumaon Hills, the Hailey National Park, initially named after Lord Malcolm Hailey. The park was renamed in his honour in 1957.

Source: Wikipedia

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