The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has included the pygmy hog in its recovery programme for critically endangered species, with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) appointed as the nodal agency to implement the conservation project.
The recovery initiative is part of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the Development of Wildlife Habitats (CSS-DWH), a financial assistance programme aimed at protecting wildlife, improving habitats and mitigating human wildlife conflicts across the country.
The pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) is India’s only endemic wild pig and one of the world’s rarest mammals. It is considered a flagship species for the conservation of alluvial grassland ecosystems.
The MoEFCC’s Wildlife Committee has recognised that the pygmy hog was once a prominent grassland species and has identified suitable habitats for its possible reintroduction, including Jaldapara in West Bengal and certain areas in Uttar Pradesh.
The committee stated, “The species shall be included under the Species Recovery Programme of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the Development of Wildlife Habitats. The WII will be tasked with undertaking the project.”
A national level conservation programme will be developed to secure existing populations, restore suitable habitats and facilitate the recovery of the species across its historical range.
The WII provided the committee with an update on the species’ status, ongoing conservation efforts, captive breeding initiatives and future conservation priorities.
It highlighted the successful conservation activities carried out in Assam and stressed the need to extend these programmes to suitable grassland habitats in other parts of the species’ historical range.
The committee further recommended that the pygmy hog be included under the Species Recovery Programme of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the Development of Wildlife Habitats, with the WII conducting scientific studies to assess the current status of the species and the feasibility of its reintroduction in suitable habitats in states such as Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.