Pygmy hogs thriving in the wild 1 year after reintroduction.

11/05/2009 22:38:29 Pygmy hogs filmed, and spotted by wildlife holiday group
May 2009. The reintroduction of the world's smallest and rarest pig, in Assam's Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary, is going extremely well after its first year, according to conservationists at Durrell.

Most of the pygmy hogs reintroduced in Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary by the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP) in May 2008 appear to have survived a year after their release into the wild.

Hoglets born
Ground surveys and camera video-trapping suggest that up to two-thirds of the 16 pygmy hogs (7 males, 9 females) released in an area of Sonai Rupai grassland are thriving. At least one of the two pregnant females had farrowed successfully after release, and tracks of young pygmy hogs were detected in the grassland in June/July 2008.

Second release in May 2009
To augment the reintroduced population, a second release of three social groups comprising 14 captive bred hogs (5 males, 9 females) is planned in the Sanctuary in May 2009. These hogs are being prepared for survival in the wild in simulated habitats in large enclosures at the PHCP ‘pre-release' facility in Potasali, Nameri Tiger Reserve, since December last year. They will be shifted in consecutive batches to temporary ‘soft-release' enclosures in Sonai Rupai for a week before being allowed to go out into the wild later this month.

Captive bred since 1996
The conservation breeding of pygmy hogs by PHCP began at its Basistha research and breeding centre near Guwahati in 1996, using seven (3 males, 4 females) wild hogs captured under permit from their last surviving population in Manas National Park, Assam.

Threatened by agricultural practices
William Oliver, Chair of the IUCN-SSC Pigs, Peccaries & Hippos Specialist Group, who has been working to save the species from extinction for the last 30 years and who initiated the collaborative conservation programme, said: "The practice of indiscriminate dry season annual burning and uncontrolled livestock grazing threatens the last surviving wild population of pygmy hogs in Manas and, if continued, will doubtless also affect many other threatened and sensitive grassland species". Unfortunately, the burning and livestock grazing situation in most pygmy hog grasslands in Manas is worsening.

According to Prof. John Fa, Director of Conservation Science at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust: "The successful establishment of new populations of this species is the culmination of the hard work of a number of organisations to save this animal from extinction, and the survival of the first batch of pigs bodes well for the future".

Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme
PHCP is a collaborative project of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (Durrell), IUCN/SSC PPHSG, Forest Department of the Government of Assam, and the Ministry of Environment & Forests of the Government of India.

The programme is financially supported by Durrell, Darwin Initiative and Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund. EcoSystems-India, the local partner organisation of Durrell and PPHSG, is assisting PHCP implement its activities in Assam and is working closely with local communities and other stakeholders to improve awareness about the species and the management of its grassland habitat.

Pygmy hogs
The pygmy hog is the world's smallest and rarest wild pig and most threatened by extinction. It stands about 25 cm from the ground and weighs 6 to 9 kg. The species was originally found in the narrow belt of tall alluvial grasslands that runs across the southern edge of the Himalayas in the Indian subcontinent.

Habitat & threats
Tall alluvial grass habitats, being very rich in nutrients, are highly suitable for cultivation and therefore came under significant pressures from expanding human populations, agriculture and uncontrolled harvesting; all of which caused disappearance of this highly sensitive species. Currently, indiscriminate grass burning, livestock grazing, commercial forestry operations and human encroachment are the greatest threats to this species, which has already been extirpated throughout the remainder of its known recent range in north-western Assam and neighbouring states.

Other endangered species
The pygmy hog is a highly sensitive indicator for its grassland habitat, which is crucial for the survival of a number of other endangered species such as the swamp deer, wild buffalo, hispid hare and Bengal florican. The Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme acts as an umbrella for extensive work with both the habitats and their surrounding communities. It is hoped that through this project and the release of hogs, we can support local communities to sustainably manage their natural resources and protect their unique biodiversity.