UPSC Prelims 2020 question on Musk Deer Habitat

Analysis

Musk deer is a small compact deer belonging to the family Cervidae. A solitary shy animal, the musk deer lives in mountainous regions from Siberia to the Himalayas.

Askot Wildlife Sanctuary is located 54 km from Pithoragarh near the town of Askot in Uttarakhand. As the name suggests, the sanctuary has been set up primarily for the conservation of musk deer and its natural habitat. Hence Option 1 is correct.

Gangotri National Park is a national park in Uttarkashi District of Uttarakhand in India. Various rare and endangered species like bharal or blue sheep, black bear, brown bear, Himalayan Monal, Himalayan Snowcock, Himalayan Thar, musk deer and snow leopard are found in the park. Hence Option 2 is correct.

Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary is a part of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve near Mailani in Uttar Pradesh. It covers an area of 227 km2. The tiger, chital, hog deer, wild boars, otters, and many more animals are found here — musk deer is NOT specifically associated with this sanctuary as it is a plains/terai area, not mountainous.

Manas National Park is located in the Himalayan foothills and is contiguous with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan. However, musk deer's primary habitat is higher mountainous regions, not the foothills terrain of Manas.