UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Union Environment Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav welcomes 9 Cheetahs from Botswana, at Kuno National Park
Q1. Under Project Cheetah, cheetahs have been sourced from three African countries up to the February 2026 translocation. Taking the three source-country consignments together, how many cheetahs have in total been imported into India?
Q2. Which one of the following was the very first source country from which cheetahs were translocated to India under Project Cheetah?
- A. Namibia
- B. South Africa
- C. Botswana
- D. Kenya
Q3. With reference to Kuno National Park, consider the following:
1. It lies in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh.
2. It is largely devoid of human settlements.
3. It falls within the Western Ghats landscape.
4. It was originally developed as an alternative reintroduction site for the Asiatic lion.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- It lies in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh.
- It is largely devoid of human settlements.
- It falls within the Western Ghats landscape.
- It was originally developed as an alternative reintroduction site for the Asiatic lion.
- A. 1, 2 and 4
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1 and 2 only
Q4. The Kuno river, which drains Kuno National Park, is a tributary of which one of the following, the principal river of the region into which it flows?
- A. Chambal
- B. Betwa
- C. Ken
- D. Sindh
Q5. Consider the following statements comparing the cheetah subspecies:
1. The cheetahs introduced under Project Cheetah belong to Acinonyx jubatus jubatus, the African subspecies, and not the Asiatic subspecies formerly native to India.
2. Compared with the Asiatic cheetah, the African cheetah is generally larger and has a comparatively thinner coat.
3. The Asiatic cheetah is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, the same category as the African cheetah.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The cheetahs introduced under Project Cheetah belong to Acinonyx jubatus jubatus, the African subspecies, and not the Asiatic subspecies formerly native to India.
- Compared with the Asiatic cheetah, the African cheetah is generally larger and has a comparatively thinner coat.
- The Asiatic cheetah is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, the same category as the African cheetah.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q6. With reference to cheetah taxonomy and biogeography, consider the following:
1. The cheetah is the only surviving species of the genus Acinonyx.
2. The African cheetah has a thicker coat and a more powerful neck than the Asiatic cheetah.
3. The African and Asiatic cheetah lineages are estimated to have diverged tens of thousands of years ago.
4. Iran hosts the world's last surviving wild population of the Asiatic cheetah.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- The cheetah is the only surviving species of the genus Acinonyx.
- The African cheetah has a thicker coat and a more powerful neck than the Asiatic cheetah.
- The African and Asiatic cheetah lineages are estimated to have diverged tens of thousands of years ago.
- Iran hosts the world's last surviving wild population of the Asiatic cheetah.
- A. 1, 3 and 4
- B. 1, 2 and 3
- C. 2 and 4 only
- D. 1, 2 and 4
Q7. With reference to the legal and institutional framework of Project Cheetah, consider the following:
1. The Supreme Court, in 2020, permitted the experimental introduction of the African cheetah.
2. The Wildlife Institute of India serves as a scientific/technical partner.
3. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 provides the statutory basis.
4. The Central Zoo Authority is the nodal implementing agency for the project.
Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified?
- The Supreme Court, in 2020, permitted the experimental introduction of the African cheetah.
- The Wildlife Institute of India serves as a scientific/technical partner.
- The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 provides the statutory basis.
- The Central Zoo Authority is the nodal implementing agency for the project.
- A. 4 only
- B. 1 and 4
- C. 2 and 3
- D. 3 only
Q8. Project Cheetah is carried out under which one of the following Union ministries as its nodal ministry?
- A. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- B. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
- C. Ministry of Tribal Affairs
- D. Ministry of Science and Technology
Q9. In the context of Project Cheetah, Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary is described as the 'second home' for cheetahs. This description primarily means that it is:
- A. An additional reintroduction/release site meant to establish a further free-ranging cheetah population and ease pressure on Kuno
- B. A captive-breeding zoo facility set up exclusively to rear India-born cheetah cubs
- C. A dedicated rescue and veterinary centre for injured cheetahs shifted out of Kuno
- D. A trans-boundary sanctuary jointly managed with Rajasthan for cheetah tourism
Q10. With reference to the international conservation status of the cheetah and related big cats, consider the following:
1. The cheetah is listed on Appendix I of CITES.
2. The Asiatic lion is assessed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
3. The cheetah is listed on Appendix I of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS).
4. The cheetah is categorised as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- The cheetah is listed on Appendix I of CITES.
- The Asiatic lion is assessed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
- The cheetah is listed on Appendix I of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS).
- The cheetah is categorised as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
- A. 1, 2 and 3
- B. 1 and 4 only
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1 and 3 only
Q11. Which one of the following statutory bodies coordinates the technical and regulatory aspects of the 2026 Botswana cheetah translocation under Project Cheetah?
- A. National Tiger Conservation Authority
- B. Central Zoo Authority
- C. Wildlife Crime Control Bureau
- D. National Biodiversity Authority
Q12. Consider the following statements comparing India's big cat conservation efforts:
1. Project Tiger was launched in 1973, decades before Project Cheetah, which commenced in 2022.
2. Both Project Tiger and Project Cheetah are anchored solely at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
3. The Asiatic lion, the focus of India's lion conservation, is confined in the wild to the Gir landscape of Gujarat.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Project Tiger was launched in 1973, decades before Project Cheetah, which commenced in 2022.
- Both Project Tiger and Project Cheetah are anchored solely at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
- The Asiatic lion, the focus of India's lion conservation, is confined in the wild to the Gir landscape of Gujarat.
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3