Man-Eaters of Kumaon

by Jim Corbett

First published in 1944, this is really something different in the field of hunting adventure -- and very good reading it makes. Some of it is most exciting -- all written with a truly amusing straight-face, dispassionate coolness. It's a true account of the famous hunter's experiences with man-eating tigers in the jungles of India. He describes in detail the stalking, the tigers' victims, and some of the most hairbreadth escapes that have been recorded -- all the more harrowing because of his calm detachment. Good armchair adventure -- not just for hunting enthusiasts, but for men and women -- boys and girls -- who like straight adventure, even though it's a bit gory at times. Once you start reading, it will whet the appetite for more until the last page.

Genres: Nonfiction, Adventure, India, History, Wildlife, Nature, Travel

268 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1944

About the author

Edward James "Jim" Corbett 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.

Reviews

[Daren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim Corbett (1875 - 1955) was an experienced hunter, who was called upon by the Government in India to track down and kill man-eating tigers which were terrorising villagers in the Kumaon district in Uttarakhand, which borders Nepal and Tibet. While early in his life Corbett was a hunter, he later evolved his thinking to become a naturalist, and championed the protection of wild animals.

This book describes the events of hunting (mostly) man-eating tigers in the 1920s.

In this period, while tigers had already been heavily hunted, there were still a high number roaming about, and those which become man-eaters were taking many lives. Corbett writes first about the Champawat Tiger, a Bengal Tigress responsible for an estimated 436 deaths before he tracked her down in 1907.

Corbett, while perhaps not a naturally gifted writer, makes a good attempt and has created a readable book filled with facts about tigers and descriptions of the forests of Uttarakhand. He shares his exceptional skills in tracking, predicting tiger behaviour and his knowledge around what makes a tiger become a man-eater.

At the 1929 District Conference, the troubles with man-eating tigers were raised, and the top three most dangerous were determined by the number of people killed. Jim Corbett was asked to deal with these tigers. The first was considered the Chowgarh Tiger
but was found to be the Chowgarh Tigers - villages who thought they were being terrorised by one man-eater, when there were actually two!

Chapter 5 is the odd one out - The Bachelor of Powalgarh, an exceptionally large Bengal tiger who was the most sought after game trophy of the time. Although many had tried no one was able to outsmart this tiger. Corbett tells the story of how he hunts this giant (which was definitely not a man-eater).

The Mohan Tiger is the second of the three man-eaters. The Kanda Tiger is the third of the District Conference tigers that Corbett killed.

In Chapter 8 Corbett traces 15 years of history of the Pipal Pani Tiger a non man-eater, from its tracks in the mud as a cub, up until its death 15 years later.

The final chapter, in 1938 when Corbett is 63 years old, tells of the last man-eating tiger he hunts, the Thak man-eater which proves to be one of the most dramatic kills.

One of the more interesting aspects is why tigers become man-eaters. Man is easy prey for a tiger, but generally they stay well away from humans. It is only when injured and unable to hunt their natural game that they turn to the easy meals. "The wound that has caused a particular tiger to take to man-eating might be the result of a carelessly fired shot and failure to follow up and recover the wounded animal or be the result of the tiger having lost his temper while killing a porcupine." Porcupine quills are very brittle and once embedded in a tigers leg will heal over then fester and cause a lot of pain and discomfort. This effects their demeanour as well as ability to hunt.

In 1957 a national park in Uttarakhand was renamed Jim Corbett National Park in his honour.

4 stars, but probably not a book for those who cannot separate the 1920s from today, or are upset at the hunting and killing aspects.

[Riddhika Khanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a little difficult for me to rate. The prime reason being that I am absolutely in love with tigers. I have seen a lot of documentaries on tigers and have enjoyed it thoroughly.
I had heard about Jim Corbett as a famous hunter. He has undoubtedly killed many tigers while hunting and only a handful of them were man eaters. This point disturbed me a lot as I am against such hunting. To me, hunting is only justified if you have to put food on the table or in this book's case the target being a man eater. I cant see hunting as a sport.

I read a little about Corbett on the internet and came to know that though he was a regular hunter, he turned into a conservationalist and a naturalist. While reading the book, I came across quite interesting passages like Corbett describing tigers as a beautiful and a proud animal. He had never looked at a tiger with hate or disgust. He had utmost love for the animal and it pained him when anyone used the phrase "blood thirsty as a tiger". He had no doubt killed a lot of tigers and for me that is kind of unforgivable but I cannot ignore that he was the same guy who took to lecturing groups of schoolchildren about their natural heritage and the need to conserve forests and their wildlife.

Coming to the book, I loved the way it has been written. Corbett has quite an intimate knowledge about jungles and calling sounds of various wild animals. It certainly helped me to paint a clearer picture of the forest in my mind.
I loved the beginning when Corbett explained as to why a tiger turns into a man eater. I came to know a lot of things about tigers which I hadn't earlier. I loved the way he described the jungles and the villages of Kumaon. It is only possible to lay out such details when you are absolutely in love with the forest.
Overall, I loved the feel of the book. It has been written in a simple and an interesting manner. This is the first book I have read about hunting and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I look forward to read more from this genre.

[Fiona Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

A man-eating tiger is a tiger that has been compelled, through stress of circumstances beyond its control, to adopt a diet alien to it.

This was the book I was originally after when I picked up The Man-Eaters of Tsavo, and though that book was interesting, this was absolutely excellent.

Jim Corbett, the author, was born in India to Irish parents. In love with the jungles of the country from a young age, he later became a hunter, tracker, photographer, naturalist and conservationist. While that might seem contradictory, he never killed a tiger without a threat to human life (with one exception, the Bachelor of Powalgarh). By killing man-eaters, he could also usually prevent the danger to other tigers in the region - oddly, when finding a tiger in the area where attacks have happened, it was a rare hunter who stopped to make sure they had the right one.

The love the author has for this country, it's people, and the flora and fauna that fill it, lie behind every single word he's written. From the only chapter not involving a tiger hunt:
The weight of the fish is immaterial, for weights are soon forgotten. Not so forgotten are the surroundings in which the sport is indulged in. The steel blue of the fern-fringed pool where the water rests a little before cascading over rock and shingle to draw breath again in another pool more beautiful than the one just left - the flash of the gaily coloured kingfisher as he breaks the surface of the water, shedding a shower of diamonds from his wings as he rises with a chirp of delight, a silver minnow held firmly in his vermilion bill - the belling of the sambur and the clear tuneful call of the chital apprising the jungle folk that the tiger, whose pugmarks show wet on the sand where a few minutes before he crossed the river, is out in search of his dinner. These are things that will not be forgotten and will live in my memory, the lodestone to draw me back to that beautiful valley, as yet unspoiled by the hand of man.

It's truly beautiful writing, and it's clear that this author genuinely feels he's doing the best he can to protect those tigers who haven't brought the world down on them by attacking humans directly. Each man-eater became one for a reason, and each time Mr Corbett successfully completed a hunt, he would make sure to find that reason, further proving that tigers are not merciless or bloodthirsty, but instead hunt people out of desperation or lack of alternatives. Some of the stories are hair-raising, too; imagine running from a tiger only to stumble on, and wake, a sleeping bear!

I had a wonderful time reading this book, and would absolutely recommend it.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim Corbett, Sahib and master of hunting, walks the reader through 7 tales of his hunting - and destroying - man-eating tigers. As Corbett patiently explains, humans are not tigers' natural nor preferred prey, and tigers resort to man only if the animal suffers a physical ailment that causes it to seek out an easy target. Sometimes these ailments are from animal injury or human intervention, regardless of the cause the animals soon begins to prowl for human flesh.

Living in a 21st century modern state where the largest predator i know lives 2 hours away, i found the premise difficult to comprehend: how could people even encounter a tiger if they are working in their fields near their homes?? But Corbett paints a beautiful picture of small Indian villages nestled in the hills and valleys of the Himalayas in the 20s and 30s - where firearms are scarce and people work fully immersed in nature.

Truly an enjoyable book. Corbett provides vivid imagery of his surroundings, exploits and reasoning for hunting the way he does. His humble yet calculating nature jumps off the page and the reader really does feel that they are shadowing him through the ravines and jungles of India.

I couldn't recommend a better book. A very quick read that really transport you to a new world, one that is very, very real. Corbett is an impressive hunter and an incredible man.

[অন্বয় আকিব · Rating 5 out of 5]

দুর্দান্ত! ঘরের মধ্যে বসেও মনে হচ্ছে ঘাড়ের পিছনেই মানুষখেকো ঝাঁপিয়ে পড়ার পায়তারা করছে! হরর বই পড়েও এতটা শিহরিত হওয়া যায় না যতটা করবেট সাহেবের বইয়ে হওয়া যায়।

জিম করবেটের বেশ কিছু বই আমার আগে পড়া ছিল। তিনি আমার খুবই প্রিয় লেখক। তার বর্ণনা এতই প্রাঞ্জল মনে হয় আমি নিজেই ভারতের গহীন বনে মানুষখেকো বাঘ বা চিতার পিছনে দৌড়ে বেড়াচ্ছি। তবে মানুষও কিন্তু যে কোন সময় শিকারী থেকে শিকারে পরিণত হয়ে যেতে পারে এক সেকেন্ডের এদিক ওদিকে। সেই বৃটিশ আমলে ভারতের দুর্গম গ্রাম গুলোর আশেপাশে ছিল বাঘ বা চিতাদের আনাগোনা। এসব বাঘ বা চিতার অনেকগুলোই বয়স, আঘাত বা আক্রোশের কারণে স্বাভাবিক খাবার ছেড়ে নজর দিয়েছে অপেক্ষাকৃত সহজ খাবার মানুষের দিকে। অসহায় সেসব গ্রামবাসীকে রক্ষায় জিম করবেট নিজের প্রাণ বাজি রেখে অনেকবার এগিয়ে এসেছেন।

রাতের বেলা সব লাইট অফ করে নিস্তব্ধ পরিবেশে বইটা নিয়ে পড়ুন। নিজেই টের পাবেন এই বইটা আসলে কতটা দারুণ!

[W · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are tales from the 1920s,from the Indian jungles,when wild tigers roamed free and some became man-eaters.

People of remote villages were frequently terrorised,as old or injured tigers and other big cats acquired a liking for human flesh.

This is hunter Jim Corbett's account of finding the tracks of the man eaters,offering them bait and lying in wait for the kill,for long stretches of time.

Though it is pretty adventurous stuff,Corbett wasn't as skilled a writer,as he was a hunter.I found the books of another hunter,Kenneth Anderson,more entertaining.

[John Winterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ‘Great White Hunter’ genre has fallen out of favour, especially with the media classes. Yet perhaps we must question whether, in replacing old prejudices with new, we can in fact be less broad-minded than our ancestors, who in many ways had no choice but to develop a practical knowledge of the world in which they lived.

Jim Corbett certainly presents a challenge to some fashionable perceptions of the role of the semi-professional hunter and of the last decades of British India. Like the vast majority of Britons in India, he was not partying at Simla but getting on with some very important work, not for profit but for the benefit of the local population, protecting them from rogue tigers or leopards who were capable of killing dozens, even hundreds, In doing so, he exposed himself to incredible risks.

Yet this keen hunter was also a keen conservationist. This paradox is by no means uncommon: partly it is because hunters want to preserve animals in order to have something to shoot, but it is also because the best of them develop a genuine love of nature on its own terms, without the sentimentality of urban animal-lovers. Corbett developed a real sympathy for what he calls the ‘jungle folk,’ but never forgot what they were, ‘red of tooth and claw.’

He also had a greater knowledge, understanding, and love of India and its people than most of those today who would write him off a ‘colonialist.’ He was nothing of the sort: born and raised in India, he never saw it as anything but India. To this day there is a national park there named after him.

Above all, he loved tigers. He shoots rogue man-eaters because his greater sympathy is with the Indian people they kill, but he is at pains to point out that such behaviour is unusual in tigers and he respects those he shoots. He is conflicted when he shoots one tiger that later turns out to be innocent. It is true that he shoots another on a rather dubious pretext, but on yet another occasion he feels guilty at having to shoot a confirmed man-eater when it was asleep. He seems to have felt that the tiger was a hunter like himself – as he puts it, the tiger is a gentleman – and should be treated as such. His attitude can be summed up as ‘do unto the tiger as he would do unto you – but do it first.’ Corbett is therefore ruthless in the hunt but never cruel.

In any case, whether or not one agrees with his values, Corbett is a born story-teller. Despite the fact that he obviously lived to tell the tale, one soon finds oneself so lost in the narrative that one wonders how Corbett can possibly escape the hairy situation he is describing. He has the great gift of being able to convey tension and uncertainty in very few words.

This particular edition also benefits from some delightful line drawings that give a perfect sense of place.

Above all, Corbett is good company. He is at his most likable when writing the moving life story of his favourite dog, Robin. No one could doubt his credentials as an animal-lover after reading that.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't recall how I came across this book exactly, I think I was browsing around for out-of-copyright stuff and other freebies that I could populate the Kindle with. Because normally I wouldn't be all that interested in an old book about big game hunting, presuming it would just be some oblivious early-20th-century white guy plowing through jungles with an elephant gun killing tigers so he could have something to brag about over brandy and cigars. Nor am I a hunter, and I'm keenly aware of the man-made problems tigers have today. But the book came with glowing reviews, and the price was right, so I put it on the Kindle for a possible right moment down the road. That right moment came on the plane out to Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. It seemed like a short, easy read to tackle while traveling, and I thought maybe I'd learn something about wild animals in case of bear incidents. And if Jim Corbett turned out to be straight out of a grainy 1940s newsreel about capturing animals for the circus, I'd bail.

Turns out his motivations are much more respectable, and his exploits made for a surprisingly good read. The book mostly chronicles his work hunting man-eating tigers, a rarity that only comes about when a tiger becomes injured and can't capture its normal prey. Instead it has to resort to less appealing, but easier-to-catch game in the form of humans. These tigers could be absolutely devastating, sometimes killing hundreds of people. Corbett put a stop to many of the more infamous human predators in the region. Which is no easy task. Tigers aren't deer: they're hunting you while you hunt them. But the guy is sort of amazing. At one point he kills a bear with an axe. He kills a cobra by throwing rocks at it. He sleeps in trees. He goes without food for a day or two at a stretch while covering serious miles of Himalayan forest.

Yet he still comes across as compassionate and respectful towards the natural environment. Whatever time he may have spent as a trophy hunter--and certainly he gained his experience somewhere--is not at all evident in this book. He advocates going after tigers with cameras rather than guns, for one thing. He also talks about his controversial interest in sitting up in trees to watch tigers hunting--controversial, it seems, because he expects people will wonder why he isn't shooting them instead. Nowadays he's remembered as a conservationist, he's got an Indian National Park named after him, and he's largely regarded as a hero. So, mostly guilt-free adventure reading found here.

[Renuka · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the third book I am leaving unfinished this year. This is not bad right :/

So, I am a bigtime wildlife lover. I watch all those wildlife-related documentaries running on Discovery, Nat-Geo, etc. My favorite channel is BBC Earth. And, Most importantly I love Tigers!!!!

That's why it was so overwhelming for me to read the author describing how he shot the Tigers and called them "Man-Eaters". I will never ever support hunting and shooting of animals.
I agree that they were a menace to the villagers but killing them is not the solution.

I shouldn't have picked this one up. :(

PS: 2 stars are for vivid description of the jungles.

[Naren]

must read, felt like reading a thriller

[Shine Sebastian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best wilderness book I've read so far!! In ' Man Eaters of Kumaon' , Jim Corbett, an exceptionally talented hunter, writer , and in his later years a conservationist, gives us the blood-chilling, frightening , and highly exciting experiences and encounters with the furious wild, while he was hunting the 'Man-Eating' tigers of the Indian forests.
Corbett is so good at his writing and narrative style, so that I experienced the incredible wilderness and the fascinating animals so intimately for the first time in my life!
Tigers!! OMG! , As much as I was frightened and was uncomfortable because of my heartbeat while reading the book, my fear was partially undermined by the awesomeness and the incredible beauty of this magnificent beast!!
It is clear from the very beginning, how much Corbett loves the wilderness and all the incredible wild animals. But he finds himself in a very uncomfortable situation, when he has to decide whether he should save the lives of the helpless villagers who are frightened to death by the 'Man-Eating' tigers and are living their lives, afraid of every sound or movement outside their house, or whether he should leave them at the mercy of the Tigers, that develops a taste for human flesh because of certain factors and conditions ( Corbett explains several of the reasons for tigers or leopards becoming Man-Eaters. 1- When a tiger is wounded so badly from some fight between other tigers or animals, or from a Hunter's gun that didn't kill it but wounded it badly, or from some accident that happened while it handles it's prey - Eg. The most common and fatal of this type is injury from Porcupine quils. In all above circumstances, the tiger is handicapped and so it is impossible for it to catch it's normal prey, so it resorts to the easiest prey nearby- Humans! 2.- When a tiger accidentally happens to get to eat the abandoned corpses of the people the died during an epidemic. But when the epidemiy is over , the tiger suddenly finds it's supply of easy food cut out. So it frequents the nearby villages ( mostly at night) and kills people. In their normal and healthy condition, Tigers or Leopards don't see humans as a prey. )
Corbett decides that he will forever be haunted by guilt if he didn't kill a Man-Eater that is responsible for sometimes upto 100 human lives. So decides to hunt down and kill these man-eating tigers to save the villagers.
This book is filled with so many fascinating real life stories and encounters, and there is not a moment when I felt bored.
Highly recommend it to anyone who loves wilderness books/stories, or anyone who likes to read highly thrilling and suspenseful non-fiction books! :)

[Nigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book many many years ago and it stayed in my mind. Recently one or two things raised it in my memory and I decided it would be good to read it again while waiting for another book to arrive. Given that this was written in the middle of the last century about events in the first half of that century it is remarkably readable and timeless.

Jim Corbett was a sportsman (hunter) who took to hunting man eating tigers (and other wildlife) in the foothills of the Himalaya. However despite this unlikely set of credentials he comes over as a someone who cares deeply for the environment and the wildlife. Choosing mostly to stalk these man eating tigers on foot alone in often difficult terrain he prefers to give the animals a sporting chance - I wonder how likely such an attitude would be in current times. Interesting stories about an area of India which was certainly a lovely (if dangerous) part of the world at that time I was delighted to find that this is still a favourite book after all this time. I plan to look for one or two other books written by him too.

[Sikata · Rating 3 out of 5]

As you may have gathered from the summary of the book, it's about man eaters and their pursuit by Corbett. As much as I was pleased to read about Corbett's passion for animals, I was equally repulsed by him sitting and skinning his kills. Yes yes. Those times. (I have been duly pointed the error in this seeing as how the time was different. I guess I am looking back through a glass and judging the normalcy of the time) Most tigers became man eaters because of the injuries sustained from other hunters! Not all of his kills were of man eaters. Many of his kills were a stroke of luck. Had the animal approached from a different direction, he would have been a good meal.

Corbett paints a vivid picture of the flora and fauna which at these times feels like a fantasy land. He mentions about the depleting leopards and tigers yet has made no move to stop it. He mentions the 'rich and fertile lands' yet he also mentions how that brings good revenue. Take, take, take. That's all EIC has done. He just wrote about the lack of medicines and healthcare in villages. But why would the EIC have medical centers where their people didn't stay.

What I liked was just the parts that described how the tiger hunted. The intelligence of the species and to what extent they go to satisfy their hunger. I loved the descriptions of the Indian jungles, animals and their habits. The hospitality of the people of India.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jim Corbett was a trophy hunter turned conservationist. The only problem is... the whole "better late than never" theory doesn't really apply here because he can't bring back or replace the big cats he destroyed for nothing more than his ego and their skin. Yes, some of these were man eaters that posed a problem to innocent people. But the thing I noticed was most of these became "man eaters" because someone like Corbett tried to shoot them for no reason.... there by wounding them which caused them to need to resort to eating people. So basically he was killing tigers for eating people that were only eating people because they were shot by other people for no reason. Sorry... I can't say I justify that. Not to mention this is a man that sat over kills and shot animals when they came back to eat.... not only "man eaters".... many innocent cats. And shot cats in their sleep. I can appreciate the good he tried to do later in life, but that does not fix the damage he did before. The book is pretty good.... but the stories are very similar. Not really like reading the same story over and over.... but close. "The Man Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag" was a better book by Corbett. This book just kinda showed his bad side. A lot of beautiful animals died so he could obtain what he called a "trophy". I was a bit disgusted.

[Samsudduha Rifath · Rating 5 out of 5]

এই প্রথম শিকার কাহিনি পড়লাম। দারুণ লেগেছে। মনে হচ্ছিলো অরণ্যর মাঝে আমিও রুদ্ধশ্বাসে অপেক্ষা করছি কোনো মানুষখেকোকে মারার জন্য।

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A village in a jungle was being terrorized by a man-eating tigress. She'd killed over 200 farmers and nobody could stop her. So they contacted me. I didn't want to be responsible for any other deaths, so I went into the jungle alone with only my faithful companion Robin--the best dog the world has ever known--to watch my back. After a brisk hike of 10 miles I sat down to have a light lunch consisting of a giant river trout that I'd just caught myself and, of course, plenty of steaming hot tea to warm my soul. Then I took a nap. I woke up slowly and admired the beautiful color patterns on the back of a giant killer cobra as it slithered over my leg and past some exotic orchids. A Himalayan bear was sniffing at the remains of my lunch, but not interested in me or Robin. Suddenly the denizens of the jungle started to chatter. From the way the langurs were calling to the chital, sambar, and kakar, I knew the tigress was near. To draw her out, I gave the call of a male tiger searching for a mate. Unfortunately, she did not come from the direction I was expecting and was nearly upon me before I realized my mistake. I spun at the last second, lifted my weapon, and hit her with a perfectly placed shot so that she died instantly and without any pain. Upon examining her, I saw that she had she incorrectly healed broken ribs likely suffered in a fall approximately 3 years and 2 months prior to our encounter. This had robbed the great hunter of her agility and is likely why she became a man-eater. The villagers were overjoyed to learn of her demise, as they had not left their homes in weeks and were unable to farm their land or feed their livestock. And then I returned home to my sister at my spring estate on top of a mountain in the Himalayas overlooking a jungle filled with leopards and tigers and bears and yeti and then I rolled myself a cigarette which I enjoyed with hot tea and goat's milk because I'm a complete fucking bad ass."

That's a summary of pretty much EVERY SINGLE ONE of Jim Corbett's ridiculously awesome and damn near unbelievable stories about years of his life spent tracking down and killing man-eating tigers that were terrorizing villagers in the Himalayan foothills of India.

Corbett wasn't some pansy trophy hunter who paid a small fortune to fly into a foreign country and have locals lead him right to the most exotic animals so he could shoot them from a safe distance. He was an Englishman born and raised in India who learned to track dangerous animals and emulate their calls and used that skill like a super power any time the lives of innocent villagers were threatened by leopards and tigers who'd become man-eaters.

But he wasn't just a hunter--he was also a conservationist! He laments the big cats that must be put down after they become man-eaters and he praises their beauty. Later in life, he published a book of wildlife photography. The oldest national park in India--created to protect endangered tigers--is named after him.


I'm not saying this is the best non-fiction book I've ever read. Or even the best non-fiction adventure book--that's obviously Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster. But it is a pretty cool book filled with entertaining first person stories about a man, a gun, a dog, lots of tea, and man-eating tigers in British Colonial India.

[Jaya Kumar K · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive narration of the experiences of Jim Corbett in the forests of North India.

Thrills us to the core. Made me look around for any stalking tiger one night, in the 3rd floor balcony of my apartment in a city!

The book shares not just the story of tigers, but the passion of Jim Corbett for all these creatures, the kind natured man who exposes himself of his good heart when he tries to find all ways to spare a cat before deciding to shoot it down. Walking alone in search of man eaters, spending days and nights waiting over a kill, and surviving all seasons and dangers created by these sometimes clever animals - and the vivid expression of those experiences makes him unique.Its hard to see another person of his stature and gut anymore in India.

[Rajeev Roshan · Rating 5 out of 5]

हर अंत के बाद एक शानदार शुरुआत होती है।
हर रात के बाद के सुन्दर सा सूरज निकलता है।
हर जंग के बाद विजय का जश्न मनाया जाता है।
हर हार के बाद जीतने की आशा और बलवती होती जाती है।

मेरे जीवन इन आशावादी वाक्यों का बड़ा ही महत्व है। वैसे तो मैं एक आशावादी व्यक्ति हूँ पर कभी कभी निराशा से भी दो-चार होना पड़ता है। ऐसे समय में एक पुस्तक उठा लेता हूँ "सफलता के बढ़ते कदम" स्वेट मोर्डेन द्वारा लिखित। यह किताब मुझे हमेशा निराशा से दूर और आशाओं के करीब ले जाता है। लेकिन ऐसा नहीं है की इस दार्शनिक पुस्तक ने ही मेरे जीवन पर प्रभाव डाला है। मुझे "शरलाक होम्स" के चरित्र ने भी बार बार जीवन को प्रेरणा दी है।

कल मेरे कुछ प्रिय मित्र ने सुझाव दिया की मैं जिम कॉर्बेट साहब को पढूं। जब उन्होंने जिम कॉर्बेट साहब को पढ़ा था तो बड़े ही सुन्दर तरीके से उन वाक्यात को बयां किया जिससे लगता था की मुझे यह पुस्तक पढना चाहिए। और एक पुस्तक उन्ही दोस्तों के माध्यम से मेरे हाथ लग चुकी थी रविवार को लेकिन मैंने उसे शुरू नहीं किया था। लेकिन कल जब उन्होंने उस पुस्तक पाए कुछ और अनुभवों को मेरे साथ साझा किया तो मैं अपने आप को रोक नहीं पाया और मैंने कल रात्रि से ही इस पुस्तक को पढना शुरू किया। जिम कॉर्बेट साहब द्वारा लिखित इस पुस्तक का नाम था "The Maneaters of Kumaoun " ।

कल रात्रि मैंने इस पुस्तक का सिर्फ लेखकीय पढ़ा। मैं लेखकीय में से कुछ अनुभव आपके साथ बांटना चाहूँगा। कॉर्बेट साहब ने अपने लेखकीय में कहा की "बाघ" कभी आदमखोर नहीं होते वे हमेशा अपने परिवेश में रहने वाले दुसरे जीव-जन्तुओ पर निर्भर करते हैं और उन्ही का शिकार करते हैं। मुख्यतः "बाघ" द्वारा शिकार करना उसकी रफ़्तार और उसके दांतों और उसके पंजो पर निर्भर करता है लेकिन अगर कोई बाघ घायल है, या उसका कोई दांत नहीं हो तो मनुष्यों की तरफ आकर्षित होता है। या अपने परिवेश में अगर जानवर ख़तम हो जाए जिस पर वो निर्भर करता हो तो वो अपने परिवेश से बाहर निकल कर शिकार करता है। जिम साहब हमारे साथ एक अनुभव और साझा करते हैं की एक घायल बाघिन के बारे में बताते हैं की एक स्थान पर वह आराम कर रही थी जब एक महिला जो अपने पशु के लिए घास कट रही थी उस स्थान पर पहुंची जहा वह बाघिन लेटी हुई थी। पहले तो बाघिन ने उसको नज़र अंदाज़ कर दिया लेकिन जब महिला ने उस स्थान का घास काटना की कोशिश की जहा वह बाघिन लेटी हुई थी तो बाघिन ने उस पर हमला कर दिया और एक ही हमले में महिला ने अपनी जान गँवा दी। "बाघिन" ने उस स्थान को छोड़ दिया और उस स्थान से एक मिल दूर एक गिरे हुए पेड़ के खोखले जगह में पनाह ली लेकिन जब एक लकड़हाड़ा उस पेड़ को काटने आया तो उस बाघिन ने उसका भी काम तमाम कर दिया। इस तरह हम देखते हैं की जब भी मनुष्यों ने बाघों के परिवेश में दखल डालने की कोशिश की तब तब बाघों ने अपने आप को "आदमखोर" बनाया। मुख्यतः ऐसा होता है की जब भी कोई बाघ, बाघिन, या गर्भवती बाघिन, या अपने बच्चो वाली बाघिन को कोई कोई मनुष्य परेशान करता है या उन्हें लगता है की मनुष्य उन्हें परेशां कर रहे हैं तो ये जंतु खूंखार हो उठते हैं। अब मनुष्यों की सोचने की क्षमता और जानवरों के सोचने की क्षमता में फर्क तो होता ही है तभी तो हम मनुष्य है और वो जानवर। कभी कभी जो हमें सही लगता है या हमारे हिसाब से सही होता है वो "बाघों" को गलत लगता है। इसी कारण वो हम पर बस इसी बात पर हमला कर देते हैं की वो लकड़हाड़ा या महिला तो अपने हिसाब से सही काम कर रहे थे लेकिन बाघिन को लगा की ये मनुष्य उसे परेशां कर रहे हैं।

जिम साहब कहते हैं की मैं किसी भी बाघ को तब तक "आदमखोर" नहीं मानता जब तक वो इस दुर्दांत क्रिया की सीमा न लाँघ दे। ऐसा नहीं है की मनुष्यों पर हमला सिर्फ और सिर्फ "बाघ" द्वारा किया जाता है , बाघ के अलावा चीते, सियार और भेड़िये भी इस प्रकार के हमलो के लिए उत्तरदायी होते हैं।
जिम साहब के अनुसार आदमखोर बाघों के बच्चे भी आदमखोर बन सकते हैं क्यूंकि वे उन्ही भोजन पर निर्भर करते हैं जो उसको अपनी माँ से प्राप्त होता है।
जिम साहब एक मजेदार बात बताते हैं की बाघ मनुष्यों से डरते हैं लेकिन जब बाघ आदमखोर बन जाते हैं तो उनका दर मनुष्यों के प्रति ख़तम हो जाता है। वही बाघ मुख्यतः दिन में मनुष्यों का शिकार करते हैं। जबकि चीता मनुष्यों का शिकार रात्रि के समय करता है लेकिन मनुष्यों के प्रति उसका दर तब भी बना होता जबकि उसके सैकड़ो मनुष्यों का शिकार किया हो।

एक आदमखोर बाघ द्वारा शिकार करने की दर इन तीन मुख्या बातों पर निर्भर करती है ---
१) जिस परिवेश में वह "आदमखोर बाघ" रहता है वह उसके प्राकृतिक भोजन की आपूर्ति।
२) "आदमखोर बाघ" बनने के लिए उत्तरदायी घाव, चोट या विकलांगता।
३) "आदमखोर बाघ" एक नर है या मादा या वो शावक के साथ है।

बहुत सी ऐसी बातें हैं जो इस लेखकीय से बाघों के बारे में सीखा जा सकता था। बाघ पर किये गए इतने विस्तृत शोध से पता चलता है की जिम साहब एक आदमखोर बाघों शिकारी के अलावा एक बहुत ही सुलझे हुए इंसान भी थे । जिन्होंने उस पहलु को भी उजागर किया जिस कारण ये बाघ "आदमखोर" बने । आज भी लोग बाघों की उस कहावत का प्रयोग करते हैं जिसके अनुसार "बाघ जितना क्रूर और खूंखार" जैसे वाक्यों का इस्तेमाल किया जाता है। लेकिन जिम साहब के अनुसार "बाघ" क्रूर या खूंखार नहीं होते । जब बहुत सी महिलाए, बच्चे जंगले में लकड़ियाँ काटने जाते हैं, या घास काटने जाते हैं और शाम को सुरक्षित वापिस आ जाते हैं तो हम इस पशु को "क्रूर" या "खूंखार" जैसे शब्दों से कैसे तुलना कर सकते हैं।

कल इस लेखकीय को पढना और उस पर विचार करना उन विचारों को शब्दों में आप तक पहुचना आसान कार्य नहीं लगा मुझे। क्यूंकि आजतक मैं भी बाघ को क्रूर और खूंखार की दृष्टि से देखता था। लेकिन इस लेखकीय को पढने के बाद मेरी मानसिकता बदल गयी है। अगर मैंने इस लेख को नहीं पढ़ा होता और मुझे "बाघ" पर कुछ लिखने के लिए कहा जाता तो मैं मेरे हाथ उसके बारे में कुछ अच्छा नहीं लिख पाते जो की "बाघों" के साथ अन्याय होता। लेकिन इस लेख ने मेरी दिशा ही बदल दी , बाघों को समझने की नज़रें ही बदल दी।

ज���स प्रकार से मुझे "स्वेट मोर्डेन" "शरलोक होम्स" "विमल" ने मेरे जीवन पर प्रभाव डाला है आज तक उसी प्रकार से आज इस नए व्यक्तित्व से मिल कर एक नयापन सा आया है जिन्दगी में। मैं अभी आगे की और कहानियां पढ़ रहा हूँ, हो सकता है मुझे और बहुत कुछ सीखने को मिले "जिम कॉर्बेट" साहब से।

मैं दिल से "शरद जी" को धन्यवाद् करता हूँ की उन्होंने इतनी सुन्दर पुस्तक मुझे पढने को दी। मैं उन सभी मित्रो का शुक्रिया अदा करता हूँ जिन्होंने मुझे इस पुस्तक को पढने की प्रेरणा दी।

सच में --- वास्तविकता और कल्पना में "ज़मीं और आसमान" का फर्क है।

[Yadhu Krishnan P]

Before I talk about the book, a small back story about how I found this book. It was a long night and I wasn't getting any sleep, randomly I stumbled onto this podcast called "Force of Nature" where they were talking about Jim Corbett's books and generally his life. I was very intrigued and listened to every episode that was about him in that Podcast. Totally loved the narration and how the suspense builds up, I even personally messaged the team and they were glad.

Fast forward years later, I was selling my own book at Hosur book fair 2023, it was the last day and I had coupons which couldn't be transferred to cash. I was planning on buying some books anyway but it was almost closing time, and a lot of the stalls were already packing up. Hurriedly I went through whatever stalls were open, and my eyes fell randomly on this book "Man Eaters of Kumaon" - it struck me then this was the book the guys were talking about.

The story doesn't end yet, I had updated in my story that I was currently reading this book and one of my followers messaged me that it was a very "close to heart" book because of the sentiment attached with his grandfather's last recommendation before he passed away. When I began reading the book, I could understand why this became an instant favorite for some people - the writing is so simple and the narration style descriptive - I really felt like I was in the forest area following the pug marks of a man eater tiger.

More than the book itself, my respect for Jim Corbett as a person increased as he is a very down to earth person and despite being on the colonist side, he sees Indians on equal terms. He also feels guilty for every human kill because of his carelessness at times, there's a lot of self introspection and sacrifice he undergoes to make a village free of a menace. The British India was a different time and hunting was looked in a different light yet this man wasn't some blood thirsty poacher like other shikaaris.

The chapter that really impacted me was "Champawat Tigers" - it is the longest if I'm not wrong and covers an year in the timeline. Each and every stalk, investigation is written in such an interesting way. I'm both compelled and empathising with the situation. A lot of near death moments are brushed aside like it's just another Tuesday.

[Chandrashekar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man Eaters of Kumaon, if seen only as a literary work, is brilliant. And that is where I want to focus the review on. This is not the right forum to get into the whole debate about the ethics concerning 'Big Game Hunting'. The book is engaging though you sometimes get a feeling that you are reading the same story all over again with minor changes. I cant give another negative comment on the content because this was my first book on the genre and being a closet amateur wildlife enthusiast I loved the nuggets of wisdom given throughout the book about the behavior, actions and reactions of the big cats to different situations.His understanding of the forest and the beings residing in it is awe inspiring. What keeps the interest of the reader from sagging for too long is not the hunt itself but the story woven around it. The background of each tiger is given, what were its infamous exploits, what has made him/her walk down this shameful path of infamy, what were the author's encounters with the man eater and so on. You get a feeling that you are reading a thriller and not a book on hunting man eaters. So many times the author is being hunted by the same man eater whom he is intending to hunt down. So many times he escapes death by a whisker. Yet so many times he accomplishes the task at hand. One might not support his actions on many occasions but hey, "His name was James Corbett and he did what he did."

[Alcatraz Dey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive narration of the experiences of Jim Corbett in the forests of North India.

Thrills us to the core. Made me look around for any stalking tiger one night, in the 3rd floor balcony of my apartment in a city!

The book shares not just the story of tigers, but the passion of Jim Corbett for all these creatures, the kind natured man who exposes himself of his good heart when he tries to find all ways to spare a cat before deciding to shoot it down. Walking alone in search of man eaters, spending days and nights waiting over a kill, and surviving all seasons and dangers created by these sometimes clever animals – and the vivid expression of those experiences makes him unique.Its hard to see another person of his stature and gut anymore in India.

[Harish Usgaonker · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Man-Eaters of Kumaon" is an account of Jim Corbett's experiences and the stories behind these experiences of hunting down some of the most ferocious man-eaters in the region, which is present-day Uttarakhand, India.

All stories put you straight in the shoes of Jim Corbett, the hunter who is set out to put to rest the havoc played by man-eaters, taking hundreds of innocent lives and not even sparing the children. Some of the descriptions of the tiger's 'kills' are chilling, and the reader just can't help but flinch.

Corbett's skills of locating the tigers or identifying their behaviors are exemplary. It shows that he had a deep understanding of nature, particularly of these feline creatures, based on the wind direction, patterns of attack, and gleaning information about the prowling tiger, its gender, size, hideouts, and much more just based on pug-marks and scratches was simply amazing.

Some of the stories really leave a mark and stay with you for some time. Like the story behind the first Man-Eater Corbett had to deal- the Chowgarh Man-Eater who had taken lives of many villagers including the entire family of a village lady, that she had refused to speak ever since in shock. The day Corbett put the animal to rest, he went to meet her and there she was, speaking again, expressing relief that the death of her family was now avenged.

Another story that stands out is when circumstances led to such a difficult situation that Corbett had to shoot the tiger when it was fast asleep. Though the tiger had been quite a menace to the villagers and was difficult to tame, Corbett was taken by guilt and regret for having shot the tiger in his deep sleep, something that he thought was not fair as the tiger was not given a chance to at least fight for himself.

The last story of The Thak Man-Eater is the best of the lot. Corbett narrates in detail his multiple attempts of tracing the tiger and how with each attempt he failed and reached a state of almost giving up and passing the baton to some other younger sportsman (as he calls the hunters) and retire to his home in Nainital. The entire village had been deserted in fear of this man-eater, and a group of laborers tasked to take down some trees in the Jungle also refused to work. Such was the horror that resulted due to this tiger. Corbett finally puts the tiger's killing spree to a permanent stop, hours before the day he had decided to quit and return.

Along with the stories, Corbett also educates the reader about some of the misconceptions about tigers, the reasons why they turn to preying on humans, and offers a different perspective on how we should view these creatures with empathy- while vehemently condemning the portrayal of tigers in literature as 'cruel' or 'blood-thirsty'.

[awesomatik.de · Rating 2 out of 5]

Also für ein Buch über menschenfressende Tiger ist es ganz schön unspannend geschrieben.

Die Geschichten ähneln sich stark. Corbett bindet ein Ochsen oder eine Ziege als Köder an die Stelle, wo als letztes ein Mensch gefressen wurde und klettert auf einen Baum, um dem Tiger aufzulauern. Häufig muss er die Tiger tagelang durch die Wildnis verfolgen.
Viel Text besteht aus Beschreibungen von Wegen und Tälern. Die Begebenheiten waren sicherlich für die Jagd relevant aber sie machen die Geschichte nicht spannender. Zudem ist er recht bescheiden und stellt sich und seine Gefühle in den Hintergrund, wodurch einem das mitfiebern erschwert wird.

Aber Jim Corbett sagt selbst, dass er ein guter Jäger aber kein guter Erzähler sei. Er hatte die Geschichtensammlung ursprünglich 1935 für Freunde geschrieben und sie dann später doch noch als Buch veröffentlicht.

Man kann schon ahnen wie adrenenalinreich und extrem anstrengend die Tigerjagd gewesen sein muss. Und es ist interessant dabei Einblicke in die indische Himalaya-Region zu erhalten.

Jim Corbett war zunächst Jäger und tauschte später sein Gewehr gegen eine Kamera und setze sich zunehmend für Naturschutz ein.

Mittlerweile gibt es sogar einen Jim Corbett Nationalpark in Indien.

Sein Leben muss unglaublich abenteuerreich gewesen sein und hätte definitiv ein besseres Buch verdient.

Die überragenden Kritiken kann ich jedenfalls nicht nachvollziehen.

[Sjs · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a read! I was totally taken with the man as much as his adventures, a quiet an unassuming person with an almost limitless knowledge of the jungle. Jim Corbett details his adventures hunting man-eating tigers around India in the 1920's. Some of these cats killed well over 500 people, Corbett hunted to protect people and not for the sake of hunting.
Corbett also teaches the reader important principles of conservation as he relates his story. Here is a man completely at ease in nature with a grasp of its beauty and danger. He relates his stories in a humble way, but surely he must have been lauded as the greatest hunter of his day. Still, he adheres to the highest standards at all times and is a hunter and outdoorsman of the highest order.
These stories are told humbly, but are real-life chess matches resulting in life and death. Corbett stares into the face of a more than one tiger and felt he had no business being alive to tell the story, but for skill and a huge dollop of luck.
Simply told yet with enough detail to easily imagine what it was like, the I was completely riveted by these stories. I highly recommend this book!

[Jose Kaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been getting recommendations to read this book for over the past 5-6 years, and finally at the start of the year I took the time to read it, and I’m very glad I did.

Jim Corbett, while being by no means a writer, managed to write his experiences in a very distinct way than any other book I’ve read. I have never been immersed in a book as I was while reading through Corbett’s stories. And for the first time in my life I was scared while reading something.

The book is great in many ways, but what it made it amazing for me was the stories themselves of course, even though Jim only covers a few of his man-eater hunting exploits here, he hand picked the best ones to tell. He also manages to convey a deeper message than just the hunting itself, which I found simply lovely.

Overall, a must read for anyone who is interested in what it took to take down a man-eating tiger, and also enrich themselves not only in the Indian wilderness, but their ways of life back in the day.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I reviewed this a while ago...and Alice ate it. So here we go again. As I said before in the review you didn't get to read and that's now spread among the random electrons of the internet, this book is far too good to have been read as I did, just to get it done and back to the library. I have a situation here where I'm involved in a couple of group reads and also a dozen (or more) library books showed up at once. This is one of them. It's not only a library book, but an interlibrary loan book, so a pain to renew. Thus...I rushed it.

Still this is (if you're at all into outdoor reads) an intensely interesting book. The stories in this both of the hunts and the stories exchanged in the book are great. Plan to sit down maybe with a cup of tea and enjoy this one.

Recommended.

[Shiva · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, but written in a time when hunting big cats for sport was thought to be perfectly fine.

While I could stomach the stories about man eaters he tracked down and killed, I was repelled by the ones where he would shoot tigers just for sport and collect 'trophies' of their skin.

Hunting by these 'sahibs' and unchecked poaching is what has made the tiger a near extinct species today. These stories serve as a reminder of the glorious time when India's jungles were teeming with these wonderful creatures, and also gives us one of the reasons why that isn't the case any more.

[Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating account of one man's experiences stalking some of the most dangerous animals in India-man eating tigers! I loved Jim Corbett's neat and concise way of writing. His descriptions were minute and not one bit boring. I couldn't imagine facing the danger he did, months at a stretch, wondering if the next step would be his last.
He has such a deep love for nature too, and a keen enjoyment of the little things like a birds nest, or trout stream that make one feel he is talking to a friend. A place of honor on the shelf for this one!

[Nuutti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Denna boka handle om en dude på sånn 1930 tallet som jakte ned tigera, som av ulike årsaka har begynt å spise menneska!!?! *GASP*

Om ikke det høres fette rått ut, så syns æ du har dårlig smak.
Han duden som vandre gjennom jungelen fortell sånn i episk detalje om hannes eventyr, og man blir revet med!
Perfekt til å lese på kvelden når man skal sove og ikke tenke på de forferdelige tankan som okkupere det tomrommet der en vanlig person ville hatt en hjerne.

Denna boka e GOATED, og akkurat kjedelig nok.

[Manoj Chugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunting a tiger is supremely difficult. Tiger's ability to see, smell and hear from large distances, is far superior to humans. On top of his senses, this extremely intelligent creature has the physical prowess, mighty strength, speed which makes this amazing animal brutally savage.

Jim Corbett who is now well known due to these books but back then he was relatively less known other than to the local population of Kumaon region of India. He became famous for his hunting skills and also for his love for India & its nature.

This is a classic book about the adventures of this hunter and naturalist Jim Corbett as he tracks and hunts man-eating tigers and leopards in the Kumaon. The book is a captivating read that combines elements of natural history, travel writing, and thrilling storytelling.

One of the standout features of the book is Corbett's deep knowledge and appreciation of the natural world. He writes with a scientist's eye for detail and a storyteller's gift for capturing the majesty and beauty of the animals he encounters. His descriptions of the landscapes and ecosystems of the Kumaon region are vivid and evocative, and his observations of the behaviors and habits of the tigers and leopards are fascinating and illuminating.

In addition to being a skilled naturalist, Corbett is also an adept hunter and a skilled tracker. The book is full of suspenseful and exciting hunting scenes as Corbett follows the tracks of man-eating beasts through the rugged terrain of the Kumaon hills. His hunts are not easy, and he often faces great danger as he pursues his quarry. However, his determination and bravery ultimately lead him to success, and his efforts to protect the people of the Kumaon region from the threat of man-eating predators are admirable and inspiring.

I have found this book a thrilling and informative read that will very much appeal to fans of natural history, adventure, and storytelling. It is a testament to the enduring appeal of Jim Corbett's writing and his enduring legacy as a conservationist and naturalist.