This film is part of Free

Honey Harvest in India

Death-defying antics on behalf of the sweet-toothed, in a home movie shot by hunter-turned-conservationist Jim Corbett

Non-Fiction 1936 9 mins Silent

Overview

An extremely agile man risks life and limb in the pursuit of honey in this home movie shot by Edward James (aka Jim) Corbett, one of India's most famous big game hunters - and, improbably, one of its most significant conservationists. The film records the collection of the honey and shows it being heated in a series of earthenware pots. It does not record how many times the honey collector was stung.

Born in 1875 in Nainital, Corbett recorded his hunting exploits in a series of books including Man-Eaters of Kumaon - hugely popular boys' own adventures that are still widely read. Corbett progressed from shooting the wildlife to preserving it and helped to form both the Association for the Preservation of Game in the United Provinces and the All-India Conference for the Preservation of Wild Life. He left India with the rest of the British in 1947, and moved to Kenya, where he died in 1955. India's oldest national park was re-named the Jim Corbett National Park in his honour later that year.