Assam's Manas National Park welcomes 10 more rare pygmy hogs for conservation

It is imperative that everyone comes together to make joint efforts to protect nature and wildlife not only in India but around the world In an active attempt to conserve pygmy hogs the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme PHCP has released 10 more of the captivebred animals in Manas National Park in western Assam officials said Known to be worlds smallest and rarest wild pig which is most threatened by extinction this is the third time pygmy hogs have been reintroduced in Manas after the successful release of 14 in 2020 and 12 in 2021 The PHCP plans to release 60 pygmy hogs in Manas by 2025Manas field director Dr Vaibhav Chandra Mathur said that the pygmy hog species have been recovered from the verge of extinction in the wildWith the tiger reserve serving as the source stock of hogs for the PHCP this tranche of supplementation with a captive bred population is going to strengthen conservation efforts especially for tall wet grasslands for which the pygmy hog serves as an indicator species he saidMathur said that at the same time this is an opportunity to develop scientifically and statistically robust monitoring protocols for the species which are practically implementable in the field on a periodic basis so that a pulse can be kept on pygmy hog numbers and their distribution statusIn 1995 the UKs Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust partnered with the Assam Forest Department the IUCN Wild Pig Specialist Group and Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate changes to form the PHCPMathur said that the iconic species now returns to their home where their last original population still survives but has considerably declinedWith this release the number of pygmy hogs reintroduced into the wild by the PHCP has reached 152 70 males 82 females which is more than their current original global wild populationIn 1996 six hogs 2 male 4 female were captured from the Bansbari range of Manas National Park to start the highly successful breeding programmeLater a young male rescued in 2001 and another male and two females captured in 2013 from the same range joined the captive breeding stock Reintroduction of captive hogs in the wild began in 2008Initially three protected areas in their historical distribution range in Assam were selected for better protection and restoration of alluvial grasslandsEarlier 35 hogs 18 male 17 female were released in SonaiRupai Wildlife Sanctuary 59 26 male 33 female in Orang National Park and 22 11 male 11 female in Barnadi Wildlife SanctuaryDr Bibhab Kumar Talukdar chief executive officer of Aaranyak a renowned NGO and a key partner of the PHCP said Conservation of lesser known species such as pygmy hogs Bengal florican and Hispid hare and other grassland obligatory species is equally important as those of charismatic species such as the tiger and the onehorned rhinocerosThe Pygmy Hog reintroduction effort will help the grassland as they indicate health of the habitat and also the programme envisaged to contribute for restoration of their habitatIn the last two years when both coronavirus and African swine fever in Assam have caused a major challenges for the PHCP the successful release of these 14 hogs in 2020 and 12 hogs in 2021 is a landmark achievement and is the key step on the road to the establishment of a new subpopulation of pygmy hogs in Manas National ParkManas National Park bordering Bhutan contains some of the largest remaining grassland blocks in the subHimalayan grassland ecosystemsFound only in these tall dense alluvial grasslands pygmy hogs are incredibly shy and are almost never seenDurrell Wildlife Conservation Trust CEO Dr Lesley Dickie who came to Assam to take part in this years pygmy hog release said Durrell has been committed to conserving the tiny but precious pygmy hog and their grassland home for decadesAlso Read Govt aiming to get Ramsar tags for 26 more wetlands by Indias 75th Independence DayThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever