Rare pygmy hogs released in Manas NP

• Eight of 12 captive-bred pygmy hogs, the world’s rarest and smallest wild pigs, were released in the Manas National Park of western Assam.
• This is the second batch to have been reintroduced into the wild under the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP) in a year.
• Fourteen of these animals were released in Manas in 2020.

About Pygmy Hogs:

• The pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) is native to alluvial grasslands in the foothills of the Himalayas at elevations of up to 300 m (980 ft).
• Today, the only known population lives in Assam, India and possibly southern Bhutan.

IUCN Status:

• As the population is estimated at less than 250 mature individuals, it is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
• It is designated as a Schedule I species in India under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and offences against them invite heavy penalties.

About Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP):

• The PHCP is a collaboration among Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust of UK, Assam Forest Department, Wild Pig Specialist Group of IUCN and Union Environment Ministry.
• Currently it is being implemented by NGOs, Aaranyak and EcoSystems India.
• The reintroduction programme began in 2008 with the Sonai-Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary (35 hogs), Orang National Park (59) and Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary (22).

Brought back from near-extinction:

• Conservation of pygmy hog was initiated by noted naturalist Gerald Durrell and his trust in 1971.
• The pygmy hog was brought back from near-extinction by the partnership effort, and it is moving towards the establishment of a population across the entire range.
• The number of pygmy hogs reintroduced into the wild under the PHCP reached 142, which is more than their current original global wild population.