RAS question
According to the CITES report released on World Pangolin Day 2026, how many pangolins were seized globally between 2016–2024?
Correct answer: (C) 5.53 lakh.
The CITES report released on World Pangolin Day 2026 recorded an estimated 5.53 lakh pangolins seized globally between 2016 and 2024.
Explanation
The answer is 5.53 lakh because the CITES report gives the seizure estimate as 553,042 pangolins for 2016-2024. Down To Earth’s account of the CITES report says these seizures came from 2,222 seizure incidents across 49 countries, showing that the figure is not a broad rounded estimate such as 5 lakh but a specific reported count. The fact also connects with India’s conservation framework: India has two native pangolin species, the Indian pangolin and the Chinese pangolin, and both are Schedule I protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. For RAS, the number matters because it connects CITES-linked illegal wildlife trade data with India’s statutory protection of threatened species.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 2.5 lakh is less than half of the reported 553,042 pangolins and does not match the CITES-linked seizure estimate for 2016-2024.
- (B) 3 lakh understates the reported global seizure figure of 553,042 pangolins for the same period.
- (D) 7 lakh overstates the figure; the reported estimate was 553,042 pangolins, not a higher rounded total.
Concept
This tests Environment and Ecology through CITES, illegal wildlife trade, and protected species status under Indian wildlife law. It recurs in RAS because current conservation reports are often asked alongside statutory protection under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.