Shankar IAS Test: Animal Diversity Of India - UPSC MCQ

Pygmy Hog (Porcula salvania)

• It is the world's smallest wild pig, with adults weighing only 8 kgs. This species constructs a nest throughout the year.

• It is one of the most useful indicators of the management status of grassland habitats. The grasslands where the pygmy hog resides are crucial for the survival of other endangered species such as Indian Rhinoceros, Swamp Deer, Wild Buffalo, Hispid Hare, Bengal Florican, and Swamp Francolin.

• Distribution: Formerly, the species was more widely distributed along the southern Himalayan foothills but now is restricted to only a single remnant population in Manas Wildlife Sanctuary and its buffer reserves.

• Threats: The main threats are loss and degradation of grasslands, dry-season burning, livestock grazing, and grasslands' afforestation. Hunting is also a threat to remnant populations.

• The Namdapha Flying Squirrel (Biswamoyopterus biswasi)

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  It is a unique (the only one in its genus) flying squirrel restricted to a single valley in the Namdapha N.P. (or) W.L.S. in Arunachal Pradesh.

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  Habitat: Tropical forest.

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  Habitat/distribution: Found only in Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh.

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  Threats: Hunted for food.

• The Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis)

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  It is the smallest and most endangered of the five rhinoceros species.

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  It is now thought to be regionally extinct in India, though it once occurred in the foothills of the Himalayas and north-east India.

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  The Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is also believed to be extinct in India, and only a small number survive in Java and Vietnam.

A mainland subspecies of the Javan rhino was declared extinct in Vietnam in 2011. Successful conservation efforts have led to an increase in the number of greater one-horned (or Indian) rhinos, from around 200 at the turn of the 20th century to around 3,700 today.

Freshwater/river dolphin: Habitat/distribution - India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan, split into two subspecies, the Ganges river dolphin and the Indus river dolphin.

Ganges river dolphin: Habitat/distribution - Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers and their tributaries in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal.

The government of India has recognized the Ganges river dolphin as its National Aquatic Animal.

Indus river dolphin: Habitat/distribution - Indus River in Pakistan and its Beas and Sutlej tributaries.

The Himalayan Quail is presumed to be extinct since no reliable records of sightings of this species exist after 1876. Intensive surveys are required as this species is hard to detect due to its reluctance to fly and its preference for dense grass habitats. A possible sighting of this species was reported in Nainital in 2003.

• Habitat: Tall grass and scrub on steep hillsides.

• Distribution: Western Himalayas.

• Threats: Indiscriminate hunting during the colonial period along with habitat modification.

Pink-headed Duck :

• It has not been conclusively recorded in India since 1949. Males have a deep pink head and neck from which the bird derives its name.

• Habitat: Overgrown still-water pools, marshes, and swamps in lowland forests and tall grasslands.

• Distribution: Recorded in India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. Maximum records are from north-east India.

• Threats: Wetland degradation and loss of habitat, along with hunting, are the leading causes of its decline.

Siberian Crane

• It is a large, strikingly majestic migratory bird that breeds and winters in wetlands. They are known to winter at Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan. However, the last documented sighting of the bird was in 2002.

• Habitat: Wetland areas.

• Located distribution: Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan.

• Threats: Pesticide pollution, wetland drainage, development of prime habitat into agricultural fields, and to some extent, hunting.

Species are threatened with extinction by the intervention of humans due to:

• Direct causes – such as hunting, collection or capture, and persecution.

• Indirect causes include habitat loss, modification, fragmentation, and the introduction of invasive species.

• Man Animal Conflict: It refers to the interaction between wild animals and people and the resultant negative impact on people or their resources, wild animals, or habitat. It occurs when wildlife needs overlap with those of human populations, creating costs to residents and wild animals.

• Causes : Human population growth ; Land use transformation ; Species habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation ; Increasing livestock populations and competitive exclusion of wild herbivores ; Growing interest in ecotourism and increasing access to nature reserves ; Abundance and distribution of wild prey ; Increasing wildlife population as a result of conservation programmes ; Climatic factors ;Stochastic events (e.g. fire) Impacts ;

➣ Crop damage

➣ Livestock depredation

➣ Injuries to people

➣ Loss of human life

➣ Damage to property

➣ Injuries to wildlife

➣ Animal deaths

➣ Destruction of habitat Preventive strategies

➣ Artificial and natural barriers (physical and biological)

➣ Guarding

➣ Alternative high-cost livestock husbandry practices

➣ Relocation: voluntary human population resettlement

➣ Waste management systems that restrict wildlife access to refuse Mitigative strategies

➣ Compensation systems

➣ Insurance programmes

➣ Incentive programmes

➣ Community based natural resource management schemes (CBNRMS)

➣ Regulated harvest

➣ Increase alternate crops, preys or water points

➣ Wildlife translocation

➣ Conservation education for local populations

➣ Better sharing of information.