Patanjali Civil Services Academy

Pygmy Hog [Prelims Bits]

Tags: Prelims Current events of national and international importance

Source: The Hindu

The pygmy hog (Porcula salvinia), the world’s smallest wild suid, survives mainly in dense alluvial floodplain grasslands of Assam.
Its recovery highlights the need to restore grassland ecosystems, not merely increase captive populations.
Taxonomy: Sole surviving species of genus Porcula; family Suidae.
Habitat: Tall, dense alluvial floodplain grasslands.
Distribution: Historically widespread across the Terai and Brahmaputra floodplains; now restricted largely to Assam.
Manas National Park: Panbari grasslands hold the last known natural population.
Conservation history:
- Believed extinct by the mid-20th century; rediscovered in 1971.
- Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP) launched in 1995.
- Captive breeding has substantially increased its population in Assam.
Major threats: Conversion of grasslands to agriculture/plantations, habitat fragmentation, invasive plants, altered flooding, inappropriate grassland burning and ecological succession.
Conservation challenge: Captive breeding faces inbreeding, low genetic diversity, harmful gene accumulation and disease risks.
Target: Assam plans to increase the wild population to 300 by 2040.
Conservation status: Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Pygmy hog habitat conservation also benefits species associated with Assam’s grasslands, including the Bengal florican, hispid hare and hog deer.

Q1. With reference to the pygmy hog, consider the following statements:

Its present distribution is closely associated with alluvial floodplain grasslands of the Brahmaputra landscape.
Ecological succession that replaces open grasslands with woody vegetation can adversely affect its habitat.
Conservation of the species can be achieved primarily through captive breeding, irrespective of the condition of its natural grassland habitat.
Habitat restoration for pygmy hog can simultaneously benefit other grassland-dependent species.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 4 only
(c) 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2 and 4 only

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 4 only

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The species is strongly associated with dense alluvial floodplain grasslands, particularly in Assam.
Statement 2 is correct: Ecological succession can transform grasslands into increasingly woody vegetation, reducing suitable pygmy-hog habitat.
Statement 3 is incorrect: Captive breeding alone cannot ensure long-term recovery; natural habitat restoration and management remain essential.
Statement 4 is correct: Grassland conservation can also benefit species such as the Bengal florican, hispid hare and hog deer.