Prelims 2011 · archive
EasyA sandy and saline area is the natural habitat of an Indian animal species. The animal has no predators in that area but its existence is threatened due to the destruction of its habitat. Which one of the following could be that animal?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) Indian wild ass
The answer is the Indian wild ass (khur). It lives in the salt-encrusted, sandy flats of the Rann of Kachchh in Gujarat, and in India it is found only there. Because its range is so small, losing or degrading this habitat directly threatens its survival. None of the other three animals is tied to a sandy, saline habitat in this way.
- ✓ (b) The Gujarat Forest Department states that the Indian wild ass (Equus hemionus khur) is found only in and around the Little Rann of Kachchh and parts of the Greater Rann of Kachchh. The Rann is a vast saline desert, so the species depends on exactly this sandy, saline landscape. It is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- ✗ (a) The wild buffalo lives in wet grasslands and swamps, not in sandy saline desert.
- ✗ (c) The wild boar is a widespread and adaptable species. It is not confined to a sandy saline habitat.
- ✗ (d) The Indian gazelle (chinkara) is an animal of arid and scrub country, but it is not confined to saline flats. The wild ass is the species tied to that habitat in India.
Remember · Indian wild ass (khur): found in India only in and around the Little Rann of Kachchh, Gujarat (saline desert); Schedule I species; its tiny range makes habitat loss the key threat.
Sources
- 9th Wild Ass Population Estimation 2020, Gujarat Forest Department ↗ “The Indian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus khur) is the sub-species which is found only in and around Little Rann of Kachchh (LRK) and parts of the Greater Rann of Kachchh (GRK) in the Gujarat State.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2011, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·