Assam CM highlights ‘big comeback’ of ‘small hog’

The population of the endangered pygmy hog ( Porcula salvania ), once thought to be extinct, has increased from six individuals in 1996 to 194 through a captive breeding programme in Assam.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma described the recovery of the endangered grassland health indicator species, found nowhere else in India, as a “big comeback” for a “small hog” through decades of dedicated conservation efforts.

Standing about 25 cm tall and weighing up to 9.7 kg, the pygmy hog is the world’s smallest and rarest wild pig.

“The goal is to increase their number to 300 by 2040 so that the species can thrive on its own,” the Chief Minister said on Saturday (September 12, 2026).

British naturalist Gerald Durrell and his trust initiated the pygmy hog conservation in 1971. It led to the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP).