Endemic species of India

Story hook

At dawn on 22 February 2014, a stretch of beach at Gahirmatha, Odisha, looked like a battlefield from the sky. More than 3 lakh female Olive Ridley turtles — each weighing 35-45 kg — had hauled themselves out of the sea over five nights, dug nests in the sand, laid ~100 eggs each, and returned to the water. It was the largest mass-nesting event (arribada) recorded in 35 years of Indian Coast Guard surveillance. Operation Olivia intercepted 14 trawlers fishing illegally in the no-take zone; one boat had 1.3 tonnes of dead turtles in its net.

Now look 1,200 km west. At the Desert National Park near Jaisalmer, a camera trap photographed a single female Great Indian Bustard in December 2023. She is one of approximately 150 bustards left in the world — down from 1,260 in 1969. The bird stands 1 metre tall, weighs 15 kg, and lays one egg per year. In good years she might raise a single chick. In bad years (most years now), she raises none. The biggest killer is not poaching but high-tension power lines built across her sole remaining habitat: bustards fly low, fast, and head-down, crashing into wires that her ancestors never knew existed.

These two stories are the contradictions of Indian wildlife conservation in the 21st century. Some species (tiger, rhino, elephant) have recovered from the brink. Others (bustard, Bengal florican, vulture) are sliding toward oblivion despite decades of protection. This file is a tour of India's flagship species, the projects designed to save them, and the politics that determine their fate.

Why this matters for UPSC

Endangered species questions appear in Prelims every single year — factual questions on population counts, conservation status, project names, habitat states. Mains questions cover species-specific conservation case studies (Project Tiger evaluation, cheetah reintroduction, vulture crisis). Interview boards probe specific species, recent census results, and ethical dilemmas. Very high weight across all three stages.