National Parks & Wildlife — Set 12

Correct Answer: C. Bhopal

The Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Raisen and Sehore districts near Bhopal, the state capital of Madhya Pradesh. The sanctuary covers about 890 sq km and has been recommended for upgradation to a Tiger Reserve. The area includes the Bhimbetka rock shelters (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the Ratapani reservoir. The sanctuary is home to tigers, leopards, sloth bears, and a variety of deer species and birds.

Correct Answer: B. Asiatic cheetah

Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary in Sagar district was one of the sites identified for the reintroduction of the Asiatic cheetah (or African cheetah as an ecological replacement) under India's Cheetah Reintroduction Project. The cheetah went extinct in India in the 1950s mainly due to hunting and habitat loss. India eventually chose Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh for the first phase of cheetah reintroduction. In September 2022, eight cheetahs from Namibia were translocated to Kuno NP, marking a historic milestone in wildlife conservation.

Correct Answer: C. Namibia

Kuno National Park in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh received 8 cheetahs from Namibia in September 2022 in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence, initiating India's historic cheetah reintroduction program. This was the first intercontinental translocation of cheetahs in the world. The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) had gone extinct in India by 1952, and the Kuno-Palpur landscape was selected for reintroduction after decades of planning. A second batch of 12 cheetahs was brought from South Africa in February 2023.

Correct Answer: A. National Chambal Sanctuary

The National Chambal Sanctuary, which spans across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh along the Chambal River, is one of India's most important sites for the conservation of the critically endangered Gharial. The sanctuary in MP covers about 435 km of the Chambal River. It also protects the Red-crowned Roof Turtle, Gangetic river dolphin, and Indian Skimmer. The Chambal River's relatively undisturbed flow and sandy banks provide ideal nesting and feeding habitat for gharials.

Correct Answer: B. White-rumped vulture

The Keolari Vulture Conservation Reserve in Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh is dedicated to the conservation of the White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis). Vulture populations across Asia declined catastrophically by over 99% in the 1990s primarily due to diclofenac poisoning from carcasses of livestock treated with the anti-inflammatory drug. Madhya Pradesh has established several vulture conservation reserves and 'Jatayu' restaurants (safe feeding stations) to protect vultures. The state's efforts are part of a broader national program to recover India's critically endangered vulture species.

Correct Answer: C. Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve

Bori Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the three protected areas (along with Satpura National Park and Pachmarhi Wildlife Sanctuary) that form the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. The biosphere reserve was designated by UNESCO in 1999 and covers about 4,926 sq km in the Satpura Range. Bori itself covers about 485 sq km in Hoshangabad district. The landscape supports tigers, leopards, sloth bears, Indian gaur, and a rich diversity of birds and reptiles.

Correct Answer: B. Panna Tiger Reserve

The Ken-Betwa River Link Project has faced significant environmental opposition because the proposed Daudhan Dam and the diversion canal would submerge approximately 9,000 hectares of forest, a substantial portion of which lies within the Panna Tiger Reserve. Environmental groups and wildlife experts have warned that the project would damage critical tiger habitat, fragment the landscape, and reduce water flow in the Ken River that the park's wildlife depends on. The Panna Tiger Reserve had already recovered from a complete local extinction of tigers through careful translocation, and conservationists fear this project could undo those gains.

Correct Answer: C. Pench National Park

Pench National Park and the surrounding Seoni forests inspired Rudyard Kipling to write 'The Jungle Book', featuring the man-cub Mowgli and characters like Bagheera (a black panther), Shere Khan (a Bengal tiger), and Baloo (a sloth bear). Kipling's father, Lockwood Kipling, had knowledge of the Seoni region, and the real geography of central India's forests is reflected in the stories. The Pench Tiger Reserve in Seoni and Chhindwara districts of MP was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1977. The novel has been adapted into numerous films and has made Pench internationally famous.

Correct Answer: C. Forest cover and wildlife corridors

Madhya Pradesh has received various national awards for its efforts in maintaining and expanding forest cover and creating effective wildlife corridors between protected areas. The state has been proactive in establishing buffer zones, eco-sensitive zones, and connecting corridors between tiger reserves to allow animal movement. Wildlife corridors like the Kanha-Pench corridor and the Panna-Satna corridor are important for genetic exchange among tiger populations. MP's conservation model involving community participation and strict anti-poaching measures has been cited as an example for other states.

Correct Answer: B. Sagar

Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary is located primarily in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh and extends into Raisen, Narsinghpur, and Damoh districts. With an area of about 1,197 sq km it is one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in India. The sanctuary is known for leopards, wolves, nilgai, chinkara, and numerous bird species. It has been under consideration for upgradation to a Tiger Reserve or for use in cheetah reintroduction due to its large open grassland and scrub forest habitat suitable for such species.