Guwahati: Nine captive-bred pygmy hogs were released in the sprawling Manas National Park of Assam in India, by the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP) on Tuesday. The pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) is the world’s smallest and rarest wild pig, most threatened by extinction.
The nine pygmy hogs were released in presence of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and Head of the Forest Force, Assam R. P. Singh who said, “The effort for reintroduction and restoring of the endangered Pygmy Hog in Manas National Park under Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme is commendable. I wish the population of the pygmy hog stabilize in this landscape making Manas more vibrant in its species richness.”
This is the fifth release of pygmy hogs into Manas National Park since 2020, which takes the total number of the endangered species released at Kanchnabari Grassland up to 27. A camera trap study in the 2023-release-site has shown that hogs are exploring and now breeding in the area. A pregnant female hog was captured on camera in the wild for the first time in the programme’s history.
The PHCP, which is made up of founding partners Assam Forest Department, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the IUCN/SSC Wild Pig Specialist Group, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, and Ecosystems-India, with Aaranyak as delivery partner, has been working to bring this precious species back from the brink after it was previously thought to be extinct in the 1970s.
The PHCP has so far successfully bred and reintroduced 179 hogs in Assam, India, which, and happy to report, for the first time since the reintroduction programme began, may now be outnumbered by their current global wild population.
The Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP) started its work in 1996 when two males and two females were captured from the Bansbari Range of Manas National Park. The reintroduction of captive-bred hogs to the wild began in 2008. Prior to releases in Manas National Park, the PHCP selected other appropriate grasslands in Assam for reintroductions of the pygmy hog.
One site, Orang National Park, is located approximately 120km southeast of Manas, on the north riverside of the Brahmaputra River. The park is approximately 200 square km and supports grassland, woodland and ‘mosaic’ habitat types, as well as charismatic species such as the tiger, elephant and rhino, stated a press release.
Also Read: Assam Governor Attends 74th Assam Police Day
Also Watch: