Wildlife of Rajasthan and Protected Areas
This domain tests Rajasthan's national parks, sanctuaries, tiger reserves, state symbols and flagship species, with emphasis on matching a protected area to its district and its signature animal.
Protected area framework
- Rajasthan has five national parks: Ranthambore (Sawai Madhopur), Keoladeo Ghana (Bharatpur), Sariska (Alwar), Desert National Park (Jaisalmer and Barmer) and Mukundra Hills (Kota).
- Tiger reserves include Ranthambore, Sariska and Mukundra Hills, with Ramgarh Vishdhari (Bundi) notified as the fourth and Dholpur-Karauli added subsequently.
- National Chambal Sanctuary, shared with Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, is managed chiefly for gharial conservation.
State symbols
- State animal: chinkara (wild) and camel (livestock, declared in 2014). State bird: Great Indian Bustard, locally Godawan. State tree: khejri. State flower: rohida.
Species and site pairings
- Ranthambore: tiger, linked to Project Tiger (1973).
- Keoladeo: UNESCO World Heritage Site and Ramsar site, formerly a duck-shooting reserve of the Bharatpur rulers; historically hosted Siberian cranes.
- Sariska: site of the first tiger relocation by air after local extinction, 2008.
- Desert National Park: Godawan, chinkara, desert fox; Godawan breeding centres at Sam/Sudashri, Jaisalmer.
- Tal Chhapar (Churu): blackbuck. Kumbhalgarh: wolf. Sitamata (Pratapgarh): flying squirrel. Khichan (Phalodi): demoiselle cranes.
Worked example
A question asks for the Rajasthan protected area that is simultaneously a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Ramsar site known for birds. Reasoning: the bird reserve is Keoladeo Ghana National Park at Bharatpur; the pairing of World Heritage and Ramsar status fits it alone.
Traps
- Desert National Park is a national park, not a sanctuary, and has no tigers.
- Confusing the khejri tree with the Khejarli sacrifice of Amrita Devi (1730), which is a history topic.
- Placing Sariska in Jaipur or Sawai Madhopur instead of Alwar.