Jim Corbett

Edward James "Jim" Corbett (1875–1955) was a British-Indian hunter, conservationist, and author born in Nainital. Raised with deep exposure to local wildlife, he shot his first leopard at age ten and left school at seventeen to support his family through railway administrative work. He gained renown in 1907 after hunting the Champawat tigress, going on to track deadly man-eaters for decades. Corbett eventually recognized that tigers turned to human prey primarily due to injury, age, or human disruption rather than natural aggression. Influenced by early wildlife photography, he traded his rifle for a camera and became a dedicated conservation advocate. He was instrumental in founding India's first national park in 1936 — later renamed in his honor — and trained Allied troops in jungle tactics during WWII. Corbett relocated to Kenya in 1947, where he lived until his death in 1955.