Recently there was a proposal to translocate some of the lions from their natural habitat in Gujarat to which one of the following sites?

The correct answer is B. The proposal was to move a part of the Asiatic lion population from Gir in Gujarat to Kuno Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in Sheopur district, Madhya Pradesh. The aim is a second home for the species, because the entire wild Asiatic lion population is confined to Gir and its surroundings, which leaves it vulnerable to a single epidemic or calamity.

Why the others are wrong:

• Corbett National Park (Uttarakhand) is a tiger reserve, among the first under Project Tiger, and has no lion association.
• Mudumalai (Tamil Nadu) is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, known for tigers, elephants and Western Ghats fauna, not lions.
• Sariska (Rajasthan) is a tiger reserve, and its best-known wildlife history involves tiger reintroduction from Ranthambore, not lions.

Core concept: in situ conservation versus translocation and reintroduction, governed by the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and species recovery plans. Mains angle: conservation versus state-federal friction. The lion translocation has stayed stalled for years because Gujarat has resisted it. Kuno was later used for cheetahs under Project Cheetah from 2022, so do not confuse the two.

Trap: candidates pick Sariska or Corbett because they are famous tiger reserves, forgetting that the question is about lions.