Wildlife historian Raza Kazmi highlights lesser-known stories from India's past, including the presence of rhinos in Uttarakhand in 1789 and their existence up to Peshawar, and reveals the origins of Corbett Tiger Reserve from a 1935 conference.
India’s wildlife history has several lesser-known stories that have received little attention over the years. Wildlife historian and conservationist Raza Kazmi highlighted some of these overlooked chapters, recalling historical accounts of wildlife in Uttarakhand and the events that shaped the country’s conservation history. “There are many interesting stories that are missing from the mainstream narrative. It depends on what, you know, lens are you looking at, which region are you looking at,” Kazmi told ANI, while speaking on the sidelines of the Corbett Literature Festival.
When Rhinos Roamed Uttarakhand
Pointing to Uttarakhand's wildlife history, Kazmi said rhinos were once found in the region, even though the animal is now largely associated with Assam, Nepal and parts of northern Bengal. “We usually associate rhinos with Assam or Nepal to some extent and Northern Bengal, that is where they're found now. But the first British visual representation of rhinos in India actually comes from Uttarakhand in 1789,” Kazmi said.
He recalled an account from April 1789, when British artists Thomas Daniell and his nephew William Daniell encountered a rhino near Kotdwar while travelling towards the Garhwal kingdom. “They came across a huge rhino which they were surprised as well to see,” Kazmi said, adding that the animal had come to a stream to drink and the artists made a sketch of it.
“They fired off a gun in the air and the rhino went back,” he recalled, describing the encounter as one of the lesser-known stories from India's wildlife past. He shared that, "historical references also indicate that rhinos were once found in the foothills of Sirmaur in Himachal Pradesh and as far northwest as Peshawar during the Mughal era.”
The Genesis of Corbett Tiger Reserve
Raza also spoke about the genesis Corbett Tiger Reserve, saying its origins can be traced to the first All India Conference for Wildlife Preservation held in 1935. “Very few people know that the genesis of Corbett Tiger Reserve lies in the first conference on All India Conference for Wildlife Preservation that happened in 1935,” he said.
Kazmi said representatives from 565 princely states and British provinces came together for a three-day meeting in January 1935 to deliberate on wildlife preservation and formulate policy.
He added, “Even today we find it difficult for all the states to come together and agree upon something, way back in 1935 when India was divided into multiple princely states.. every single princely state of India, 565 of them, and British provinces sent their representatives. They came together and they deliberated for 3 days in January 1935 to formulate policy and the direct result of that those deliberations was the promulgation of United Provinces National Parks Act and which created Hailey National Park that is what is now Corbett and Nanda Devi.”
“There are many such stories,” Kazmi added, stressing that the way wildlife history is remembered depends on the region and the lens through which it is viewed.
For Kazmi, documenting such accounts is also an act of remembering landscapes, people and animals whose stories have been overlooked in mainstream narratives. (ANI)
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