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The Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, which became the second home for cheetahs in India, is located in:
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Answer: Option D — Madhya Pradesh
Detailed Solution
The Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Mandsaur and Neemuch districts of Madhya Pradesh, on the border with Rajasthan.
About the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary:
- It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1974.
- It covers about 368 square kilometres.
It surrounds the Gandhi Sagar Dam on the Chambal river. The dam, completed in 1960, was the first of the four dams of the Chambal Valley Project (the others are Rana Pratap Sagar, Jawahar Sagar and the Kota Barrage).
Its landscape includes dry deciduous forests, open grasslands and rocky plateaus, which are suitable for cheetahs.
Animals found here include leopards, chinkaras, nilgai, sloth bears, wolves, jackals, hyenas and many birds, including vultures.
It has ancient rock paintings and historical sites, such as the Chaturbhuj Nala rock shelters and the Hinglajgarh Fort.
Cheetahs at Gandhi Sagar:
- In April 2025, two male cheetahs were moved from the Kuno National Park to the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, making it the second home for cheetahs in India.
- Gandhi Sagar was prepared with enclosures and prey animals for the cheetahs under "Project Cheetah".
About Project Cheetah:
The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952. It is the only large mammal to have become extinct in India since independence.
Under "Project Cheetah", India began the world's first intercontinental translocation of a large wild carnivore.
On 17 September 2022, eight cheetahs from Namibia were released into the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In February 2023, twelve more cheetahs were brought from South Africa.
Several cubs have since been born in India.
Madhya Pradesh is called the "Tiger State" and the "Cheetah State" of India. It also leads in the number of leopards and vultures.
Other protected areas of Madhya Pradesh:
- Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Panna, Satpura and Sanjay-Dubri tiger reserves; Kuno National Park.
- National Chambal Sanctuary (with Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh): protects gharials.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Rajasthan has the Ranthambore and Sariska tiger reserves.
- ✗Gujarat has the Gir National Park.
- ✗Chhattisgarh has the Achanakmar and Indravati tiger reserves.
Quick tip
Remember: Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary = Mandsaur-Neemuch, MP (around the Gandhi Sagar Dam on the Chambal; second cheetah home, April 2025); first cheetah home = Kuno NP (Namibian cheetahs, 17 September 2022).
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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.