Anbessa Gedai
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A few days ago, I made the road trip to the town of Nyeri, about three hours’ drive north of Nairobi. Buried in a small cemetery there is one of the most legendary hunters of all time, and after reading his books many years ago, and being a fellow hunter, I felt an obligation to visit his grave . . .
I believe many members of the forum are well aware of Colonel Corbett’s exploits, and much has been written about them including other excellent posts here on the forum, but for those who may not be, I’ve drafted a brief bio’ (not intended to be comprehensive).
Born on 25 July 1875 of British ancestry but simple means in India, the country in which he spent nearly all of his life, this quite unassuming and humble man became one of the most legendary hunters of all time.
From a very early age, Corbett was fascinated by the forest and wildlife around his home in the northern India Himalaya. He learned to identify many animals and birds by their calls and over time he developed the ability to mimic various calls with his own voice, a skill he would later employ many times in the pursuit of man-eater tigers and leopards. He shot his first leopard at age 10, the first of many big cats over his 53+ years of hunting.
At age eighteen, he quit school and found employment as a clerk with the Bengal and Northwestern Railway. He later joined the British-Indian Army, attaining the rank of Captain in the First World War and during the Second World War he trained soldiers in the art of jungle warfare - a job in which he was imminently well-qualified. Over his 32 years of military service, time and time again, whenever a man-eater began to terrorize a village – or villages, he was summoned. Moving on foot for days, and often weeks, he hunted alone, frequently living with the native villagers while on the hunt. On several occasions he successfully used himself as “bait” to lure the tiger to his location by purposely positioning himself upwind of an area that he expected the tiger to pass.
An exact number of man-eater tigers and leopards killed by Corbett is difficult to verify as he bagged many tigers and leopards over the years, some being “collateral damage” in the pursuit of a specific animal that might range over hundreds of square miles. However, the number of confirmed man-eaters certainly exceeds a dozen, of which two were leopards.
Calculating the total fatalities from his accounts, the big cats killed more than 1,200 men, women, and children.
Notable among them are:
With at least one major exception Corbett did not sport hunt, or “trophy hunt” to any significant extent. I find this to be quite expected as surely the challenge, and satisfaction realized by bagging a man-eater would far exceed that of a typical “sport hunt”. But he did bag “The Bachelor of Powalgarh”, a monstrous 10-foot, 7-inch tiger. Many hunters had pursued it without success, and it was the most sought after big-game trophy in the United Provinces for several years until Corbett shot it in the winter of 1930. To the best of Corbett’s knowledge, it was not a man-eater (at least not yet!).
Corbett with “The Bachelor of Powalgarh”
Corbett used several different rifles over the years. Most of the tigers were brought to bag with a Jeffery boxlock double rifle in 450/400. He also used a Westley Richards bolt-action in .275 that he purchased from Manton in Calcutta, apparently the only rifle he bought new. Corbett’s killing of the Champawat man-eater tigress led to him being presented a Rigby .275 bolt-action rifle by a grateful administration. He used this rifle on several man-eaters, including the Rudaprayag Leopard. This rifle is now owned by Rigby, and I saw it on display at the Safari Club International convention in 2015.
In the autumn of his life and after retiring from the Army, Corbett moved to Kenya in 1947. I don’t know if he hunted there, but he did carry a double rifle on at least one other occasion. When Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip visited Kenya in February 1952, the Princess specifically requested Col. Corbett to accompany them during their stay at Treetops lodge near Nyeri. The waterhole at Treetops was frequented daily by elephant, buffalo, and black rhino and with the lodge being elevated, they frequently walked under the building and even bedded in its shade. In those days motor vehicles did not drive up to the lodge, and guests had a substantial walk through the forest to reach the lodge. Being the “White Hunter in Residence” at Treetops, he was responsible for ensuring the royal party was safely guarded during their visit. It was during this visit that the Princess became Queen when her father King George VI died in England during the night.
An early postcard depicting Treetops Lodge/Hotel
Colonel Edward James “Jim” Corbett died of natural causes in Nyeri in 1955, three months shy of age 80. He is buried at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Nyeri.
I don’t know why the headstone has no mention of his military service, rank, or achievements as a hunter in India. Being a particularly modest man (especially given his exploits), perhaps he wanted it this way . . .
Though Corbett is known most for his exploits as a hunter of man-eaters, I believe he would have preferred to be known as a naturalist and conservationist first and voiced a need for wildlife conservation and preservation of India’s natural heritage long before it became popular to do so. In recognition of his efforts to ensure the future of the big cats, India renamed the Ramganga National Park to The Jim Corbett National Park in 1956, and the Indochinese sub-species of tiger is named Panthera tigris corbetti in his honor.
Also buried in this cemetery is Lord Baden-Powell, General in the British Army, “Father of the Scouts” . . . founder of the worldwide scouting movement. He also served in India and was a close friend of Col. Corbett.
You that were scouts will recognize the circle enclosed dot as the trail sign for: “I have gone home”
I found the below grave off in a neglected corner of the cemetery. The headstone reads:
“HEBEN CARPENTER, OF OKEHAMPTON DEVON, BORN 3RD DEC 1901, KILLED BY A RHINO 14th JAN 1935” I have no further details other than he was believed to have been a farmer.
Additional note:
The big cats of India and surrounds continue to prey on humans to this day. Both leopards and of course tigers, but now man-eater leopards out-number the tigers as the leopard population is significantly greater than that of the tigers and they have adapted better to living and surviving in close proximity to the ever-growing human population. Several Indian hunters in recent years have followed in Col. Corbett’s footsteps and done so quite effectively.
I believe many members of the forum are well aware of Colonel Corbett’s exploits, and much has been written about them including other excellent posts here on the forum, but for those who may not be, I’ve drafted a brief bio’ (not intended to be comprehensive).
Born on 25 July 1875 of British ancestry but simple means in India, the country in which he spent nearly all of his life, this quite unassuming and humble man became one of the most legendary hunters of all time.
From a very early age, Corbett was fascinated by the forest and wildlife around his home in the northern India Himalaya. He learned to identify many animals and birds by their calls and over time he developed the ability to mimic various calls with his own voice, a skill he would later employ many times in the pursuit of man-eater tigers and leopards. He shot his first leopard at age 10, the first of many big cats over his 53+ years of hunting.
At age eighteen, he quit school and found employment as a clerk with the Bengal and Northwestern Railway. He later joined the British-Indian Army, attaining the rank of Captain in the First World War and during the Second World War he trained soldiers in the art of jungle warfare - a job in which he was imminently well-qualified. Over his 32 years of military service, time and time again, whenever a man-eater began to terrorize a village – or villages, he was summoned. Moving on foot for days, and often weeks, he hunted alone, frequently living with the native villagers while on the hunt. On several occasions he successfully used himself as “bait” to lure the tiger to his location by purposely positioning himself upwind of an area that he expected the tiger to pass.
An exact number of man-eater tigers and leopards killed by Corbett is difficult to verify as he bagged many tigers and leopards over the years, some being “collateral damage” in the pursuit of a specific animal that might range over hundreds of square miles. However, the number of confirmed man-eaters certainly exceeds a dozen, of which two were leopards.
Calculating the total fatalities from his accounts, the big cats killed more than 1,200 men, women, and children.
Notable among them are:
- The Champawat man-eater – Corbett’s first documented man-eater, a tigress that killed over 434 victims in six years
- The Tigers of Chowgarh – a tigress and sub-adult male, apparently her cub, that worked together to kill over 64 people
- The Panar man-eater – a leopard, killed over 400 people
- The Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag – more than 126 victims over eight plus years
- The Mohan man-eater
- The Muktesar man-eater
- The Talla Des tigress
- The Temple Tiger
- The Thak tigress that killed and ate four people near the Nepalese border was the final man-eater killed by Corbett, in 1938.
Corbett With “The Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag”
With at least one major exception Corbett did not sport hunt, or “trophy hunt” to any significant extent. I find this to be quite expected as surely the challenge, and satisfaction realized by bagging a man-eater would far exceed that of a typical “sport hunt”. But he did bag “The Bachelor of Powalgarh”, a monstrous 10-foot, 7-inch tiger. Many hunters had pursued it without success, and it was the most sought after big-game trophy in the United Provinces for several years until Corbett shot it in the winter of 1930. To the best of Corbett’s knowledge, it was not a man-eater (at least not yet!).
Corbett used several different rifles over the years. Most of the tigers were brought to bag with a Jeffery boxlock double rifle in 450/400. He also used a Westley Richards bolt-action in .275 that he purchased from Manton in Calcutta, apparently the only rifle he bought new. Corbett’s killing of the Champawat man-eater tigress led to him being presented a Rigby .275 bolt-action rifle by a grateful administration. He used this rifle on several man-eaters, including the Rudaprayag Leopard. This rifle is now owned by Rigby, and I saw it on display at the Safari Club International convention in 2015.
In the autumn of his life and after retiring from the Army, Corbett moved to Kenya in 1947. I don’t know if he hunted there, but he did carry a double rifle on at least one other occasion. When Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip visited Kenya in February 1952, the Princess specifically requested Col. Corbett to accompany them during their stay at Treetops lodge near Nyeri. The waterhole at Treetops was frequented daily by elephant, buffalo, and black rhino and with the lodge being elevated, they frequently walked under the building and even bedded in its shade. In those days motor vehicles did not drive up to the lodge, and guests had a substantial walk through the forest to reach the lodge. Being the “White Hunter in Residence” at Treetops, he was responsible for ensuring the royal party was safely guarded during their visit. It was during this visit that the Princess became Queen when her father King George VI died in England during the night.
An early postcard depicting Treetops Lodge/Hotel
Colonel Edward James “Jim” Corbett died of natural causes in Nyeri in 1955, three months shy of age 80. He is buried at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Nyeri.
I don’t know why the headstone has no mention of his military service, rank, or achievements as a hunter in India. Being a particularly modest man (especially given his exploits), perhaps he wanted it this way . . .
Though Corbett is known most for his exploits as a hunter of man-eaters, I believe he would have preferred to be known as a naturalist and conservationist first and voiced a need for wildlife conservation and preservation of India’s natural heritage long before it became popular to do so. In recognition of his efforts to ensure the future of the big cats, India renamed the Ramganga National Park to The Jim Corbett National Park in 1956, and the Indochinese sub-species of tiger is named Panthera tigris corbetti in his honor.
Also buried in this cemetery is Lord Baden-Powell, General in the British Army, “Father of the Scouts” . . . founder of the worldwide scouting movement. He also served in India and was a close friend of Col. Corbett.
You that were scouts will recognize the circle enclosed dot as the trail sign for: “I have gone home”
I found the below grave off in a neglected corner of the cemetery. The headstone reads:
“HEBEN CARPENTER, OF OKEHAMPTON DEVON, BORN 3RD DEC 1901, KILLED BY A RHINO 14th JAN 1935” I have no further details other than he was believed to have been a farmer.
Additional note:
The big cats of India and surrounds continue to prey on humans to this day. Both leopards and of course tigers, but now man-eater leopards out-number the tigers as the leopard population is significantly greater than that of the tigers and they have adapted better to living and surviving in close proximity to the ever-growing human population. Several Indian hunters in recent years have followed in Col. Corbett’s footsteps and done so quite effectively.
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