UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Trans-state Conservation Effort leads to successful hatching of Great Indian Bustard chick in Gujarat after a decade
Q1. The conservation breeding programme for the Great Indian Bustard is run by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Which one of the following institutions provides the scientific and technical support for this programme?
- A. Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai
- B. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata
- C. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun
- D. Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore
Q2. Consider the highest/most-threatened protection categories of the following four instruments: (i) IUCN Red List, (ii) Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, (iii) Appendix I of CITES, and (iv) Appendix I of CMS. In how many of these is the Great Indian Bustard listed in that highest/most-threatened category?
- A. One
- B. Two
- C. Three
- D. Four
Q3. With reference to the 2026 inter-state 'Jumpstart Approach' that produced a Great Indian Bustard chick in Gujarat, consider the following statements:
1. The egg was sourced from a captive breeding facility in Rajasthan and placed in a wild nest in Kutch, Gujarat.
2. The egg was carried by road in a handheld portable incubator.
3. It was the first inter-state Jumpstart operation for the species in India.
4. After hatching, the chick was hand-reared by keepers at a captive centre in Kutch.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- The egg was sourced from a captive breeding facility in Rajasthan and placed in a wild nest in Kutch, Gujarat.
- The egg was carried by road in a handheld portable incubator.
- It was the first inter-state Jumpstart operation for the species in India.
- After hatching, the chick was hand-reared by keepers at a captive centre in Kutch.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 2 and 3
- C. 3 only
- D. 4 only
Q4. In the context of Great Indian Bustard recovery, the 'Jumpstart Approach' is best described as which one of the following?
- A. Releasing adult captive-bred bustards directly into a depleted wild population to boost numbers
- B. Translocating a fertile/incubated egg from a viable population and placing it in a nest of a non-viable wild population so a wild foster bird rears the chick in situ
- C. Artificially inseminating wild females using semen collected from captive males
- D. Relocating an entire wild flock from a degraded habitat to a protected breeding centre
Q5. With reference to the Great Indian Bustard conservation breeding programme, consider the following statements:
1. The first satellite conservation breeding facility was set up at Sam in Jaisalmer.
2. The Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, provides technical support to the programme.
3. An additional conservation breeding facility was established at Ramdeora in Jaisalmer.
4. The programme is funded and implemented by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
Which of the statements given above are correctly identified?
- The first satellite conservation breeding facility was set up at Sam in Jaisalmer.
- The Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, provides technical support to the programme.
- An additional conservation breeding facility was established at Ramdeora in Jaisalmer.
- The programme is funded and implemented by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
- A. 1, 2 and 3
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1, 3 and 4
Q6. The first/primary satellite conservation breeding centre for the Great Indian Bustard, equipped with incubator, hatcher and chick-rearing facilities, was established at which one of the following locations?
- A. Sam, Jaisalmer (Rajasthan)
- B. Ramdeora, Jaisalmer (Rajasthan)
- C. Kutch Bustard Sanctuary (Gujarat)
- D. Nannaj grasslands (Maharashtra)
Q7. The Great Indian Bustard's surviving wild population is now largely confined to the Thar desert of Rajasthan. What is its approximate total wild population?
- A. About 100-150 individuals
- B. About 300-350 individuals
- C. About 600-700 individuals
- D. About 1,200-1,500 individuals
Q8. Which one of the following is most often cited as the single largest cause of unnatural mortality among Great Indian Bustards in their present range?
- A. Collision with overhead high-voltage power transmission lines
- B. Predation of eggs and chicks by free-ranging dogs
- C. Poisoning from pesticide-treated crops
- D. Drowning in artificial water tanks
Q9. An outlay of Rs 77.05 crore for a five-year Conservation Action Plan for the Great Indian Bustard was approved by the National CAMPA in which year?
- A. 2020
- B. 2021
- C. 2023
- D. 2024
Q10. The Great Indian Bustard was listed in Appendix I of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) at which Conference of the Parties?
- A. CMS COP12 (Manila, 2017)
- B. CMS COP13 (Gandhinagar, 2020)
- C. CMS COP14 (Samarkand, 2024)
- D. CMS COP11 (Quito, 2014)