Pygmy Hog (Porcula salvinia/Sus salvanius)

Pygmy Hogs Reintroduced in Assam

• Context (TH | IE): Eighteen captive-bred pygmy hogs are released in Assam’s Manas National Park, their historical habitat, under the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP).

Pygmy Hog (Porcula salvinia/Sus salvanius)

• Pygmy Hog is the world’s smallest wild pig.
• It is one of the indicator species of grassland habitats.
  • It lives in sociable family groups of up to 20, led by a matriarch.
  • Pygmy hog-sucking Louse is a critically endangered parasite that feeds only on Pygmy Hogs.
  • Distribution: This rare pig species is found only in Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam. Earlier, it was located across north India, Nepal, and Bhutan.
  • Habitat: It lives in dense, tall riverine grasslands.
  • Threats: Habitat loss and hunting.
  • Conservation Status: IUCN: EN | CITES: Appendix I | WPA: Schedule I

Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP)

• PHCP was launched in 1996 by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust along with the MoEF, the IUCN, and local NGOs, EcoSystems India & Aaranyak.
• It maintains a captive population and reintroduces hogs in protected areas of Assam.

Why the Conservation of Pygmy Hogs is Crucial to India’s Wildlife Protection Goals

• Pygmy hogs are an indicator species.
• Pygmy hogs only live in the wet high grasslands at the foothills of the Himalayas.
• It is also the habitat for other rarities such as the one-horned rhinoceros, hog deer, Eastern barasingha, tiger, water buffalo, lesser florican and the hispid hare.
• So, if pygmy hogs are not around, it means something is seriously wrong with the habitat, which, in turn, would endanger the fate of the other animals.