Photo Feature
Going the Whole Hog
<p>A tiny suid trundles through the dense grass, a symbol of international collaboration to preserve a species. The critically endangered pygmy hog <em>Porcula salvania</em> is the smallest and rarest species of pig in the world, endemic to the Indian subcontinent. Once feared extinct after going unreported for nearly two decades, it was ‘rediscovered’ in 1971 in two separate locations in Assam, including Manas National Park. However, left unprotected and with accelerated habitat, the species was extirpated from most of its range. A captive breeding programme was launched in 1995 in Manas, with six individual hogs. Over the ensuing decades, dozens of pygmy hogs have been reintroduced to the Sonai-Rupai and Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuaries, Orang National Park, and Manas – all natural habitats that were rewilded, or protected effectively. Today the population numbers around 250 mature individuals.</p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size:12px;">Photo: Shraddha Gogoi.</span></strong></p>