Pygmy Hog Conservation Success in Assam

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Key takeaways

The Assam government reported significant success of the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme, which has expanded pygmy hog numbers over 30 years.
Rediscovered in 1971 after being feared extinct, the pygmy hog (Porcula salvinia) is the world's smallest wild pig and resides mainly in Assam's Manas landscape.
The species is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Appendix I of CITES, and listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Established in 1995, the conservation program launched captive breeding in 1996 to reintroduce hogs and protect allied species like the greater one-horned rhinoceros.

The Assam government recently highlighted the success of the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme.
Targeted conservation efforts over the last three decades have significantly increased the pygmy hog population in Assam.

The pygmy hog (Porcula salvinia) is the world's smallest wild pig species and the only surviving member of the genus Porcula.
It is endemic to the Indian subcontinent and lives in the tall, wet alluvial grasslands of the Himalayan foothills.

Historically, pygmy hogs occupied a broad belt from Uttar Pradesh to Assam, including Nepal's Terai and Bengal's Duars.
After experts feared it was extinct, the species was rediscovered in 1971 in Assam, where remaining wild populations live mainly in the Manas landscape.
Pygmy hogs inhabit undisturbed riverine tall grasslands filled with dense grasses, herbs, shrubs, and young trees.
Human settlement and farm expansion heavily threaten these alluvial grasslands, making the pygmy hog a key indicator species for ecosystem health.

As the smallest member of the pig family (Suidae), it features a small body, tiny ears and tail, short false hooves, a streamlined shape, and no facial warts.
Pygmy hogs are omnivores that eat plant roots, tubers, shoots, worms, invertebrates, and occasionally small reptiles or bird eggs.
Adult males live alone, whereas females and young hogs stay in small family groups of 4 to 6 individuals.
Breeding occurs seasonally around April and May with the arrival of the monsoon in Assam, yielding litters of 2 to 6 piglets.

The species is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, under Appendix I of CITES, and under Schedule I of India's Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
The Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP) started in 1995, launching major captive breeding efforts in 1996 alongside disease prevention and reintroduction schemes.
Protecting the pygmy hog's grassland habitat also shelters other threatened species like the Bengal florican, hispid hare, hog deer, and greater one-horned rhinoceros.