UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Indian-born Female Cheetah at Kuno National Park gives Birth to Four Cubs in the Wild; a Historic Moment in India’s Cheetah Conservation Journey: Shri Bhupender Yadav
Q1. With reference to the milestones in India's cheetah reintroduction journey under Project Cheetah, consider the following:
1. The cheetah was officially declared extinct in India in 1952.
2. The Supreme Court cleared the introduction of African cheetahs in 2020.
3. Namibian cheetahs were released at Kuno National Park on 17 September 2022.
4. The batch of South African cheetahs was translocated to India in 2021.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- The cheetah was officially declared extinct in India in 1952.
- The Supreme Court cleared the introduction of African cheetahs in 2020.
- Namibian cheetahs were released at Kuno National Park on 17 September 2022.
- The batch of South African cheetahs was translocated to India in 2021.
- A. 1, 2 and 3
- B. 2 and 4
- C. 1, 3 and 4
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q2. With reference to the reintroduction of cheetahs in India, consider the following matched pairs:
1. First batch of cheetahs (2022) — sourced from Namibia
2. Second batch of cheetahs (2023) — sourced from South Africa
3. Aircraft used to transport the 2023 batch — IAF C-17 Globemaster
4. Year cheetah was officially declared extinct in India — 1947
Which of the above is/are NOT correctly matched?
- First batch of cheetahs (2022) — sourced from Namibia
- Second batch of cheetahs (2023) — sourced from South Africa
- Aircraft used to transport the 2023 batch — IAF C-17 Globemaster
- Year cheetah was officially declared extinct in India — 1947
- A. 1 only
- B. 2 and 3
- C. 3 only
- D. 4 only
Q3. With reference to the institutional framework of Project Cheetah, consider the following:
1. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is the implementing ministry.
2. The National Tiger Conservation Authority is the nodal implementing agency.
3. The Wildlife Institute of India is a collaborating technical institution.
4. The National Tiger Conservation Authority is a statutory body constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is the implementing ministry.
- The National Tiger Conservation Authority is the nodal implementing agency.
- The Wildlife Institute of India is a collaborating technical institution.
- The National Tiger Conservation Authority is a statutory body constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 1, 2 and 3
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q4. Project Cheetah is coordinated by the NTCA in collaboration with the state forest department that manages Kuno National Park on the ground. This state forest department belongs to which of the following states?
- A. Rajasthan
- B. Madhya Pradesh
- C. Gujarat
- D. Chhattisgarh
Q5. With reference to Kuno National Park, consider the following:
1. It is located in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh.
2. It lies within the Chambal river region.
3. Its prey base includes chinkara, chital and nilgai.
4. It lies within the state of Chhattisgarh.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- It is located in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh.
- It lies within the Chambal river region.
- Its prey base includes chinkara, chital and nilgai.
- It lies within the state of Chhattisgarh.
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 1, 2 and 3
- C. 2 and 4
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q6. Of the roughly ten central-Indian sites surveyed for cheetah reintroduction, which one was rated the highest and selected as the release site?
- A. Kuno-Palpur, Madhya Pradesh
- B. Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh
- C. Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh
- D. Shahgarh grasslands, Rajasthan
Q7. In the context of Project Cheetah — described as the world's first inter-continental 'translocation' of a large carnivore — the term 'translocation' most precisely means which one of the following?
- A. The human-mediated capture and movement of living animals from one area for release into another
- B. The breeding of animals in captivity followed by their gradual release into the wild
- C. The natural, unassisted dispersal of animals into a formerly occupied range
- D. The tagging and satellite tracking of free-ranging animals across landscapes
Q8. Comparing the successive batches of cheetahs brought to Kuno National Park, consider the following:
1. The 2022 Namibian batch comprised 8 cheetahs, with more females than males.
2. The 2023 South African batch comprised 12 cheetahs, with more males than females.
3. The 2026 Botswana batch comprised 9 cheetahs, with more males than females.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The 2022 Namibian batch comprised 8 cheetahs, with more females than males.
- The 2023 South African batch comprised 12 cheetahs, with more males than females.
- The 2026 Botswana batch comprised 9 cheetahs, with more males than females.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q9. With reference to Project Cheetah's 2026 breeding milestones, consider the following:
1. KGP12, an Indian-born female, gave birth to four cubs in the wild.
2. Gamini, a South African female, delivered a litter in February 2026.
3. Jwala's litter took India's total cheetah count to 53 and Indian-born cheetahs to 33.
4. Nine cubs were born in the wild to a Botswana-origin female at Kuno in 2026.
Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified?
- KGP12, an Indian-born female, gave birth to four cubs in the wild.
- Gamini, a South African female, delivered a litter in February 2026.
- Jwala's litter took India's total cheetah count to 53 and Indian-born cheetahs to 33.
- Nine cubs were born in the wild to a Botswana-origin female at Kuno in 2026.
- A. 1 only
- B. 2 and 3
- C. 3 only
- D. 4 only
Q10. The Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) now survives in the wild in how many countries?
- A. One
- B. Two
- C. Three
- D. Four
Q11. Project Cheetah's long-term goal is to establish a viable metapopulation of how many cheetahs in the Kuno–Gandhi Sagar landscape?
- A. 21
- B. 33
- C. 60–70
- D. exactly 100
Q12. Efforts to bring the cheetah back to India — decades after the species was declared extinct in 1952 — were initiated in 2009 by which of the following organisations?
- A. Wildlife Trust of India
- B. Wildlife Institute of India
- C. Bombay Natural History Society
- D. Zoological Survey of India