The Corbett National Park has been named in the memory of Jim Corbett, who was born in Nainital in the Kumaon Himalayas. He was an ace hunter tunred naturalist and conservationist. Of English-Irish parentage, Jim Corbett grew up in the Kaladhungi - Nainital region. It was his sister Maggie who first introduced him to the jungle, where the two used to go for a daily stroll. Later he began accompanying a local poacher Kunwar Singh for adventure hunting in the forest. Both remained close friends and Kunwar was to be Jim Corbett's advisor thereafter throughout his life.

Jim Corbett was an enthusiastic hunter early on in his life, but later, as his admiration for the jungle and the animals grew, he vowed never to kill a tiger or a leopard till one turned man-eater or posed a threat to the village cattle. In the early decades of this century, he stalked and killed at least a dozen man-eaters.

These animals were reported to have killed over 1500 men and women. The most famous of his kills was that of the Man-eating Lepoard of Rudraprayag that had been for years terrorizing Hindu pilgrims travelling to Kedarnath.
A pioneer conservationist, he worked closely with local schools and societies to kindle amongst the local-folks a love for nature and wildlife. Jim Corbett helped create the All India Conference for the Preservation of Wildlife.