Q. With reference to Project Cheetah and the cheetah species, consider the following statements:
1.The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is the implementing agency for Project Cheetah and has established a Cheetah Project Steering Committee in 2023.
2.The cheetah is listed under Appendix I of CITES and is the only large carnivore to have gone extinct in India.
3.Cheetahs are currently found in the wild in parts of India and China.
4.Two subspecies of cheetahs exist globally: the African cheetah (Vulnerable) and the Asiatic cheetah (Critically Endangered).
How many of the above statements are correct?
Explanation: Only three
Statement 1 is correct: The NTCA is indeed the implementing agency for Project Cheetah and it established a Cheetah Project Steering Committee in 2023 to guide and evaluate the project.
Statement 2 is correct: Cheetahs are listed under Appendix I of CITES, which includes species threatened with extinction. Also, cheetahs are the only large carnivores to have gone extinct in India, declared extinct in 1952.
Statement 3 is incorrect: Cheetahs are not found in the wild in China or India, except through the recent reintroduction efforts in India. In Asia, the only wild population exists in eastern Iran, not China.
Statement 4 is correct: There are two recognized subspecies relevant here —
- African Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus): Listed as Vulnerable by IUCN.
- Asiatic Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus): Listed as Critically Endangered, with fewer than 50 individuals surviving in Iran.
Source- BS
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