F. W. Champion
Encyclopedia
Frederick Walter Champion (born 24 August 1893 in Surrey
, UK; died 1970 in Scotland) was an English forester
, who worked in British India and East Africa. In the UK and India he became famous in the 1920s as the first wildlife photographer
and conservationist
.
, his brother Sir Harry George Champion
was also a forester, well-known for classifying the forest type of India. Champion came to India in 1913 to serve in the Police Department until 1916. During World War I he served in the British Indian Army
.
in the United Provinces
of India. Owing to his experiences during the war, he abhored shooting and killing and blisteringly criticised sport hunting. He preferred shooting wildlife with a camera in the Sivalik Hills and pioneered camera trap
ping: in the 1920s he developed cameras triggered by trip wires. Using flashlight as well, he obtained dozens of remarkable night-time photographs, which are among the first of wild tiger
s, leopard
s, sloth bear
s, dhole
s and other wildlife. He recognized that with good photographs of tigers, it was possible to tell individuals apart by their different stripe patterns.
Champion was a passionate conservationist
, before conservation became fashionable, and campaigned hard for protection of tigers and their forest habitat
s. He strongly believed in the protectionist role of the forest department in India and championed the idea of limiting gun licenses, stopping motor-cars from entering Reserved Forests and reducing rewards for killing wildlife. His commitment to conservation inspired his friend Jim Corbett
, among other hunter-turned-conservationists. Together with Corbett he was a founding member of India's first national park
established in 1935, which was renamed to Corbett National Park in 1957.
When India became independent in 1947, Champion moved to East Africa, where he continued to work as a forester until he retired.
Excerpts of his article What is the Use of Leopards? at Leopards .:. wild-cat.org
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, UK; died 1970 in Scotland) was an English forester
Forester
250px|thumb|right|Foresters of [[Southern University of Chile|UACh]] in the [[Valdivian forest]]s of San Pablo de Tregua, ChileA forester is a person who practices forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including timber...
, who worked in British India and East Africa. In the UK and India he became famous in the 1920s as the first wildlife photographer
Wildlife photography
Wildlife photography is the act of taking photographs of wildlife.Wildlife photography is regarded as one of the more challenging forms of photography. As well as needing sound technical skills, such as being able to expose correctly, wildlife photographers generally need good field craft skills...
and conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
.
His youth
Champion grew up in a family of nature lovers. His father was the English entomologist George Charles ChampionGeorge Charles Champion
George Charles Champion was an English entomologist specialising in the study of beetles. He was the eldest son of George Champion....
, his brother Sir Harry George Champion
Harry George Champion
Sir Harry George Champion was a forest officer in British India who created a classification of the forest types of India and Burma....
was also a forester, well-known for classifying the forest type of India. Champion came to India in 1913 to serve in the Police Department until 1916. During World War I he served in the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
.
His commitment to conservation
After returning from the war he was appointed Deputy Conservator of Forests with the Imperial Forestry ServiceIndian Forest Service
The Indian Forest Service is the Forestry service of India. It is one of the three All India Services of the Indian government, along with the Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service; its employees are recruited by the national government but serve under the state governments or...
in the United Provinces
United Provinces of Agra and Oudh
The United Provinces of Agra and Oudh was a province of India under the British Raj, which existed from 1902 to 1947; the official name was shortened by the Government of India Act 1935 to United Provinces, by which the province had been commonly known, and by which name it was also a province of...
of India. Owing to his experiences during the war, he abhored shooting and killing and blisteringly criticised sport hunting. He preferred shooting wildlife with a camera in the Sivalik Hills and pioneered camera trap
Camera trap
A camera trap is a remotely activated camera that is equipped with a motion sensor or an infrared sensor, or uses a light beam as a trigger. Camera trapping is a method for capturing wild animals on film when researchers are not present, and has been used in ecological research for decades...
ping: in the 1920s he developed cameras triggered by trip wires. Using flashlight as well, he obtained dozens of remarkable night-time photographs, which are among the first of wild tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
s, leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
s, sloth bear
Sloth Bear
The sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...
s, dhole
Dhole
The dhole is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats...
s and other wildlife. He recognized that with good photographs of tigers, it was possible to tell individuals apart by their different stripe patterns.
Champion was a passionate conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
, before conservation became fashionable, and campaigned hard for protection of tigers and their forest habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s. He strongly believed in the protectionist role of the forest department in India and championed the idea of limiting gun licenses, stopping motor-cars from entering Reserved Forests and reducing rewards for killing wildlife. His commitment to conservation inspired his friend Jim Corbett
Jim Corbett (hunter)
Edward James "Jim" Corbett was a British hunter, conservationist, author and naturalist, famous for slaying a large number of man-eating tigers and leopards in India....
, among other hunter-turned-conservationists. Together with Corbett he was a founding member of India's first national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
established in 1935, which was renamed to Corbett National Park in 1957.
When India became independent in 1947, Champion moved to East Africa, where he continued to work as a forester until he retired.
Publications
- With a Camera in Tiger Land. Chatto & Windus, London 1927
- The Jungle in Sunlight and Shadow Chatto & Windus, London 1934. Reprinted 1996 by Natraj Publishers, Dehra Dun, India.
- "Preserving Wildlife in the United Provinces" No. 4, The United Provinces. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society Vol. 37 (1934), pp. 104–110. Reprinted in: Thapar, V. (2001) Saving wild tigers, 1900-2000: the essential writings. Permanent Black, Delhi. pp. 57–68 (book preview)
- "From the Photographer's Point of View" In: Jepson, S. (ed.) (1936). Big game encounters: critical moments in the lives of well-known shikaris. H.F. & G. Witherby, London. pp. 30–36 (book preview)
- Correspondence: "The Protection of Wildlife". Indian Forester Vol. 55 (1939). pp. 501–504
External links
Excerpts of his article What is the Use of Leopards? at Leopards .:. wild-cat.org