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BORN TO BE WILD
born to be
Wild Fourteen pygmy hogs were released into Manas National Park in Assam, India earlier this year. The hogs are part of a captive breeding programme to restore this rare and elusive mammal to its tall grassland habitat, which dominates the foothills of the Southern Himalayas. The disappearance of this unique habitat due to human exploitation has caused the dramatic decline of wild hogs, and there may now be as few as 200 individuals left in the wild.
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Durrell conservationists are working in Assam as part of the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme. This project aims to restore this iconic species and recover the unique grasslands, which are home to many other threatened wildlife.
The captive breeding programme began 24 years ago from just six pygmy hogs that were captured in Manas National Park. As of 2020, the programme has released 130 hogs back into the wild at various sites across the species’ historic range. The individuals released this year are the first to be released back into Manas, where the last original population of pygmy hogs still survives, although with dwindling numbers.
