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General Knowledge · Class 12 · Nature and animals

Saving wildlife: conservation near you

India's last wild cheetahs were shot in the 1940s. In 2022 cheetahs walked in an Indian forest again. How?

Small test at the end: scroll down to the end of this page for five short questions that check what you have learnt. Tap an answer, then press Check answer. Go to the questions ↓

Jump to: Read first · Try it away from the screen · Check it yourself · Check yourself · For teachers

Read first

6 facts. The questions below make you use them, not just remember them.

  1. Project Tiger began in 1973. Tiger counts rose from about 1,411 in 2006 to about 3,682 in 2022.
  2. The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952. In 2022 cheetahs were brought from Namibia, and later South Africa, to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
  3. Kaziranga National Park in Assam is home to about two-thirds of the world's greater one-horned rhinos.
  4. In 1730 Amrita Devi and more than 360 Bishnoi villagers in Rajasthan gave their lives to protect khejri trees. In the 1973 Chipko movement in Uttarakhand, villagers, many of them women, hugged trees to stop them being cut.
  5. The biggest threat to most wildlife is the loss of the places they live. Corridors of forest that link protected areas let animals move safely between them.
  6. Anyone can help science: in bird counts, people record the birds they see and share the lists, which helps scientists track changes.

Offline

Try it away from the screen

Do a 15-minute bird count near your home or school, at the same time on three days. Write down every bird you can name, and describe the ones you cannot. Ask a teacher about sharing your list in a public bird count.

Make it on paper. Keep it with you. Nothing to upload.

Check it yourself

Conservation numbers can be reported in misleading ways. Check the year, the method and the source, such as the National Tiger Conservation Authority or the Wildlife Institute of India.

Check yourself

Five questions about what this page teaches. Choose an answer and press Check answer, or open "See the answer and why". Nothing is saved or sent: your choices stay on this screen and disappear when you leave or reload the page.

  1. Question 1 of 5Why were cheetahs brought to India from Africa in 2022?

    See the answer and why
    • A. To hunt the extra tigers Not this one. Cheetahs do not hunt tigers.
    • B. Cheetahs had gone extinct in India Correct. Yes. They were declared extinct in 1952.
    • C. As a gift to a zoo Not this one. They were released into Kuno National Park, not kept in a zoo.
    • D. Because African cheetahs were in danger of being hunted out Not this one. The aim was to bring cheetahs back to India.
  2. Question 2 of 5Tiger counts rose from about 1,411 in 2006 to about 3,682 in 2022. By how many did they rise?

    See the answer and why
    • A. 2,371 Not this one. Check the hundreds: 1,411 + 2,371 is 3,782.
    • B. 2,261 Not this one. Check the tens: 1,411 + 2,261 is 3,672.
    • C. 2,271 Correct. Yes. 3,682 − 1,411 = 2,271.
    • D. 5,093 Not this one. That adds the two counts instead of taking away.
  3. Question 3 of 5What did people do in the Chipko movement?

    See the answer and why
    • A. Hugged trees to stop them being cut Correct. Yes. Chipko means "to cling".
    • B. Built zoos for forest animals Not this one. Chipko was about trees and local rights to forests.
    • C. Planted a million trees in one day across every state Not this one. Chipko protected standing trees; it was not a planting drive.
    • D. Banned all farming Not this one. Chipko did not ban farming.
  4. Question 4 of 5What is the biggest threat to most wildlife today?

    See the answer and why
    • A. Too many zoos Not this one. Zoos are not the main threat.
    • B. Poaching for skins, horns and other body parts sold in markets Not this one. Poaching is serious for some species, but habitat loss affects far more.
    • C. Tourists taking photos Not this one. Tourism can disturb animals, but it is not the biggest threat.
    • D. Losing the places they live Correct. Yes. Habitat loss affects more species than any other threat.
  5. Question 5 of 5Which park has most of the world's greater one-horned rhinos?

    See the answer and why
    • A. Kuno, Madhya Pradesh, where the cheetahs were released Not this one. Kuno is where cheetahs were reintroduced.
    • B. Gir, Gujarat Not this one. Gir is the home of the Asiatic lion.
    • C. Kaziranga, Assam Correct. Yes. About two-thirds of them live there.
    • D. Jim Corbett, Uttarakhand Not this one. Corbett is famous for tigers.

For teachers and grown-upsWhere the facts come from, and how to use this round.

Sources and notes
  • Tiger estimates: 2006 (1,411), 2022 (3,682, mean), NTCA and WII. Cheetahs: first eight from Namibia, 17 September 2022.
  • Kaziranga: 2022 census about 2,613 rhinos. Khejarli massacre, 1730.
  • Safety: bird counts from paths and gardens only.
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