Consider the following:
- 1.Black-necked crane
- 2.Cheetah
- 3.Flying Squirrel
- 4.Snow Leopard
Which of the above are naturally found in India?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 1, 3 and 4 only
The black-necked crane, flying squirrels and the snow leopard all occur naturally in India. The cheetah does not: it was declared extinct in India in 1952, so no wild population existed in 2012.
- ✓ 1. The black-necked crane breeds in Ladakh, where a Wildlife Institute of India survey in 2016-17 counted about 66-69 birds. A small number also winter in Arunachal Pradesh. It is a Schedule I species under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
- ✗ 2. The cheetah was declared extinct from India in 1952. Cheetahs were brought in from Namibia only in September 2022, well after this 2012 exam.
- ✓ 3. Flying squirrels are native to India; for example, the giant flying squirrels of the genus Petaurista. The Wild Life (Protection) Act schedules list flying squirrels, including all species of Petaurista.
- ✓ 4. The snow leopard lives in the trans-Himalayan region: Ladakh, J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
- • Since then Since 2022, cheetahs have been introduced into Kuno National Park under Project Cheetah. These are translocated animals, not a surviving natural population, and the answer for 2012 is unchanged.
Remember · The cheetah is the only large cat declared extinct in India (1952). The snow leopard, black-necked crane and flying squirrels are all native to India.
Sources
- PIB: PM releases wild Cheetahs in Kuno National Park (17 Sep 2022) ↗ “The cheetah was declared extinct from India in 1952.”
- PIB, MoEFCC: Black-necked Crane (5 Feb 2024) ↗ “As per the survey conducted by Wildlife Institute of India in 2016-2017 in Ladakh region, the population size of black necked crane was around 66-69 individuals.”
- PIB, MoEFCC: Status Report of Snow Leopards in India (30 Jan 2024) ↗ “Covering approximately 120,000km 2 of crucial Snow leopard habitat across the trans-Himalayan region, including UTs of Ladakh and J & K, and states such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh”
- DGFT: Appendix listing Wild Life (Protection) Act scheduled species ↗ “1-C. Flying squirrels (all species of the genera Bulopetes, Petaurista, Pelomys, and Eupetaurus)”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2012, General Studies Paper I. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·
