Home › PYQs › Environment › All questions › 2020 · Musk deer
UPSC Prelims 2020 · Environment · Wild Places
Which of the following are the most likely places to find the musk deer in its natural habitat?
- Askot Wildlife Sanctuary
- Gangotri National Park
- Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary
- Manas National Park
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 3 and 4 only
- (d) 1 and 4 only
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only
Askot and Gangotri are high Himalayan areas.
Statement by statement
1. ✓ YES Askot (Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand) was set up to protect the musk deer.
2. ✓ YES Gangotri NP is high-altitude Himalayan forest — musk deer habitat.
3. ✗ NO Kishanpur is in the Terai of UP (part of Dudhwa TR) — lowland.
4. ✗ NO Manas is lowland Assam grassland and forest.
The idea
The Himalayan musk deer lives in the high Himalaya, in birch and rhododendron scrub from about 2,500 m up to the tree line. So sort the four places by height. Two are high mountain areas; two are lowland terai and floodplain.
Lowland terai and floodplain: Kishanpur, Manas → no → High Himalaya above 2,500 m: Askot, Gangotri → yes
The trap
All four are northern parks; split them by altitude.
Also know
The musk deer has no antlers. The male has long tusk-like upper teeth and a musk gland, and it is poached for the musk, used in perfume and traditional medicine. It is Endangered and is the State animal of Uttarakhand. Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary is also called the musk deer sanctuary.
🔒 Musk deer: 2,500 m+ Himalaya (Askot, Kedarnath, Gangotri); state animal of Uttarakhand.