Fifteen pygmy hog individuals, raised in captivity, have been released into Manas National Park in India. This step marks another important stage in one of the world's most successful nature conservation programs, according to the BBC.
Return of a Rare Animal
This endangered species, so small that it fits in a backpack and is rarely found in the wild, is showing impressive recovery in northeastern India. The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust has released 15 such animals into the grasslands of Kuribeel Manas National Park in Assam, continuing years of efforts to return the species to its natural habitat.
The pygmy hog is the smallest and rarest wild pig in the world. After its existence was considered threatened with extinction, this elusive animal was rediscovered in 1971 when a group of animals was sheltering from a fire on a meadow near a tea plantation.
Conservation Program and Monitoring
To prevent the complete extinction of the species, the Pygmy Hog Conservation Program was established in 1996. Six wild pygmy hogs were taken into captivity to form the basis of a carefully managed breeding program. Since then, the initiative has led to the breeding and release of 194 pygmy hogs into the wild.