RAS question
Which wildlife sanctuary in Rajasthan is the primary habitat of the endangered Great Indian Bustard (Godawan)?
Correct answer: (C) Desert National Park, Jaisalmer.
Desert National Park in Jaisalmer-Barmer is the primary Rajasthan habitat and the most important protected area for the endangered Great Indian Bustard, locally called Godawan.
Explanation
Desert National Park is the answer because it matches both the geography and the conservation context of the Great Indian Bustard. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre page places DNP in the Jaisalmer and Barmer districts of Rajasthan and records its area as 3,162 sq km in an extreme hot, arid, low-rainfall part of the Thar. It also notes more than 100 bird species in DNP, including a good population of the Great Indian Bustard, locally called Godawan, and describes DNP as the most important site for the species' long-term survival. This supports the standard RAS explanation: Godawan, Rajasthan's State Bird, survives primarily in Rajasthan, and DNP is its key protected desert habitat.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Sariska Tiger Reserve is associated with tigers, including their reintroduction, not with the Great Indian Bustard's primary desert habitat.
- (B) Tal Chhapar Sanctuary in Churu is known for blackbuck, whereas the Great Indian Bustard is tied here to the arid DNP landscape of Jaisalmer-Barmer.
- (D) Keoladeo Ghana National Park at Bharatpur is famous as a bird sanctuary for migratory birds, not as the principal Godawan habitat named in the DNP source.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan's protected areas and flagship species, especially the link between arid-zone ecology and endangered fauna. It recurs in RAS because Godawan combines state-symbol facts, biodiversity conservation and Thar Desert geography in one question.