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Question 23 of 30 · Biodiversity, National Parks & Wildlife
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Asia's first National Dolphin Research Centre is located in:

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Answer: Option A — Patna

Detailed Solution

Asia's first National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC) is located on the campus of Patna University, on the banks of the Ganga, in Patna, Bihar.

About the National Dolphin Research Centre:

  • It was proposed to study and protect the Gangetic river dolphin and other aquatic life of the Ganga.
  • It was built by the Government of Bihar and was inaugurated in March 2024.
  • It is the first dolphin research centre of its kind in Asia.
  • It studies the behaviour, food habits, health, migration and threats to river dolphins, and trains researchers and forest staff.
  • It also works on rescuing dolphins and spreading awareness among fishermen and local people.

About the Gangetic river dolphin:

  • Its scientific name is "Platanista gangetica".
  • It lives in the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna river systems in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
  • It is almost blind; it uses "echolocation" (sending out sound waves and listening to their echoes) to find its way and catch prey.
  • It is called "Susu" or "Soons" in Hindi, because of the sound it makes when it breathes.
  • It was declared India's "National Aquatic Animal" in 2009 (on 5 October 2009).
  • It is listed as "Endangered" on the IUCN Red List and is protected under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
  • Its main threats are dams and barrages, pollution, sand mining, fishing nets and loss of habitat.

India has the largest population of Gangetic dolphins. A survey released in 2025 estimated their number at more than 6,000.

Conservation of dolphins:

  • The Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in the Bhagalpur district of Bihar, declared in 1991, is the only sanctuary in India for Gangetic dolphins.
  • "Project Dolphin" was announced by the Government of India in 2020, similar to Project Tiger, to protect river and marine dolphins.
  • 5 October is observed as "National Dolphin Day" in India (since 2022).
  • The Gangetic dolphin is also the state aquatic animal of Assam (and the city animal of Guwahati).
  • The Indus river dolphin, found in the Beas river in Punjab, is a related species.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Bhagalpur has the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary.
  • ✗Kolkata has the Zoological Survey of India headquarters.
  • ✗Guwahati has adopted the Gangetic dolphin as its city animal.

Quick tip

Remember: Asia's first National Dolphin Research Centre = Patna (Patna University campus; inaugurated 2024); Gangetic dolphin = National Aquatic Animal (2009); Vikramshila Dolphin Sanctuary = Bhagalpur; National Dolphin Day = 5 October.

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Biodiversity, National Parks & Wildlife — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Biodiversity, National Parks & Wildlife, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers biodiversity and its conservation: biodiversity hotspots, endangered and endemic species, the IUCN Red List, in-situ and ex-situ conservation, India's national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves and biosphere reserves, and wildlife conservation projects. Questions commonly ask in which state a national park is located and which animal it is known for (Kaziranga in Assam for the one-horned rhinoceros, and Gir in Gujarat for the Asiatic lion), when Project Tiger began (1973), and which regions of India are biodiversity hotspots. The number of protected areas changes as new ones are declared, so check the latest lists. Practise the biodiversity and conservation questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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