The Hindu Editorial • September 17, 2026 • Read Original

The survival of the pygmy hog depends on a thriving ecosystem

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The Hindu Read Original

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Analysis of editorial from The Hindu newspaper on September 17, 2026

Hog in the limelight: On Assam’s pygmy hog programme

The survival of the pygmy hog depends on a thriving ecosystem

Environment Pygmy Hog ConservationAssam GrasslandsEndangered SpeciesManas National ParkCaptive BreedingEcosystem Restoration

Sentences

Sentence 1 of 15

English Original

The decline of the pygmy hog — the sole surviving species of the genus Porcula and the world’s smallest wild suid — is a narrative about the decline of India’s alluvial floodplains.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The decline of the hog —

The falling population of the pygmy hog (a tiny wild pig)

Part 2

the surviving species of the Porcula

the only remaining living type of animal in its scientific biological group

Part 3

and the world’s smallest wild —

and the tiniest member of the wild pig family on Earth

Part 4

is a about the decline of India’s .

tells the larger story of the destruction of India’s fertile river grassland plains.

Context and Background

The Pygmy Hog and Terai-Duar Grasslands

The pygmy hog (<em>Porcula salvania</em>) is the world’s smallest and rarest wild pig, measuring just 25 cm in height. It is an indicator species for the health of wet alluvial grasslands across the sub-Himalayan foothills, meaning its survival directly reflects the ecological well-being of this fragile biome.

Sentence 2 of 15

English Original

The pygmy hog depends significantly on dense grasslands to feed, conceal itself, and reproduce, so distress among these animals is an indicator of the floodplain suffering degradation.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The pygmy hog depends on dense grasslands

The pygmy hog relies heavily on thick, tall grass habitats

Part 2

to feed, itself, and ,

to find food, hide from predators, and breed safely,

Part 3

so among these animals

therefore, signs of trouble or dying out among these hogs

Part 4

is an of the floodplain suffering .

proves that the surrounding river plains are undergoing severe environmental damage.

Sentence 3 of 15

English Original

Protecting the pygmy hog can also extend protections to threatened species such as the Bengal florican, hispid hare, hog deer, and greater one-horned rhinoceros.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Protecting the pygmy hog

Taking active steps to conserve and save the pygmy hog

Part 2

can also protections

can likewise provide ecological safety and conservation benefits

Part 3

to species

to other vulnerable wild animal populations facing extinction

Part 4

such as the , , hog deer, and greater one-horned rhinoceros.

including endangered animals like the Bengal bustard bird, the bristly hare, the hog deer, and the Indian rhino.

Context and Background

Umbrella Species in Alluvial Grasslands

In conservation biology, the pygmy hog serves as an ‘umbrella species’. Protecting its specialised habitat (tall, wet alluvial grasslands like Saccharum and Themeda) automatically preserves critical ecosystems for other endangered sympatric animals, including the critically endangered Bengal florican and the hispid hare.

Sentence 4 of 15

English Original

The Assam government was recently right to laud the efforts of a captive breeding programme that [increased the pygmy hog population in the State] 32-fold in the last three decades.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The Assam government was recently right

The state government of Assam was fully justified recently

Part 2

to the efforts of a programme

in praising the hard work of an initiative that breeds animals in protected enclosures

Part 3

that [increased the pygmy hog population in the State]

which managed to multiply the number of pygmy hogs in Assam by thirty-two times

Part 4

in the last three .

over the course of the past thirty years.

Context and Background

Assam

Initiated in 1995-1996 under the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP) in collaboration with the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Assam Forest Department, and IUCN, the initiative began with just six wild individuals captured from Manas National Park. Over 30 years, the programme bred hundreds of hogs and reintroduced over 170 individuals into protected areas like Orang, Sonai Rupai, and Bornadi.

Sentence 5 of 15

English Original

Breeding from a small founder stock while preventing diseases — suids are highly susceptible to swine diseases — and inbreeding requires conservationists to track pedigree, follow biosafety protocols, and condition individuals before release.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Breeding from a small

Raising animals starting from only a tiny original group of wild ancestors

Part 2

while preventing diseases —

while making sure dangerous infections do not spread,

Part 3

suids are highly to diseases —

(pig family animals are extremely prone to catching dangerous pig illnesses),

Part 4

and

and avoiding mating between close animal relatives

Part 5

requires conservationists to track ,

demands that wildlife experts carefully record family ancestry trees,

Part 6

follow , and individuals before release.

strictly obey health safety rules, and train individual hogs to survive in the wild before setting them free.

Context and Background

Genetic Management and Disease Risks in Captive Suids

Because pygmy hogs belong to the Suidae family, they are acutely vulnerable to porcine epidemics like African Swine Fever (ASF) and Classical Swine Fever. Additionally, with captive colonies founded on just a few individuals, conservationists must use strict studbook pedigree records and quarantine bio-security to prevent inbreeding depression and lethal infections.

Sentence 6 of 15

English Original

That said, the species’ survival in the wild depends on the survival of specific ecosystems, and the latter remains a work in progress.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Even though that is true,

Part 2

the species’ survival in the wild

the ability of these hogs to continue living in natural forests

Part 3

depends on the survival of specific ,

relies completely on whether their exact grassland habitats remain alive and healthy,

Part 4

and remains .

and protecting those habitats is an ongoing task that is far from finished.

Sentence 7 of 15

English Original

The pygmy hog was believed to be extinct by the mid-20th century as floodplains were converted for farms, tea plantations, and flood control infrastructure and were degraded by invasive plants and altered flood cycles, with the unscientific burning of grasslands further fragmenting habitats.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The pygmy hog was believed to be

People thought the pygmy hog had completely died out and vanished from Earth

Part 2

by the mid-20th

around the middle of the 1900s (around the 1950s)

Part 3

as floodplains were for farms, tea , and flood control

because rich river meadows were cleared to build crop fields, commercial tea gardens, and river dams/embankments

Part 4

and were degraded by and flood cycles,

and natural lands were ruined by harmful spreading weeds and disrupted river flood patterns,

Part 5

with the burning of grasslands

along with the reckless, poorly managed setting on fire of tall grass meadows

Part 6

further .

breaking down continuous wild animal living spaces into tiny, isolated pieces.

Context and Background

Historical Habitat Loss in the Sub-Himalayan Floodplains

During the late 19th and mid-20th centuries, large swathes of the Terai-Duar alluvial grasslands across Assam, West Bengal, and Nepal were cleared for commercial tea estates, intensive farming, and flood-control embankments. Coupled with invasive weeds like <em>Mikania micrantha</em> and dry-season burning for cattle grazing, the pygmy hog lost over 90% of its original range and was feared extinct until 1971.

Sentence 8 of 15

English Original

A few individuals were rediscovered in 1971, prompting one conservation effort.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

A few individuals were in 1971,

A small number of wild pygmy hogs were found alive again in 1971,

Part 2

one effort.

leading directly to an initial wildlife protection project.

Context and Background

The 1971 Rediscovery of the Pygmy Hog

In 1971, tea planter J. Tessier-Yandell and local foresters discovered live pygmy hogs fleeing a grass fire in the Barnadi reserve near the Bhutan border in Assam. This dramatic rediscovery after decades of presumed extinction sparked global interest and initiated early scientific surveys by naturalists like Gerald Durrell.

Sentence 9 of 15

English Original

The current efforts are due to the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme from 1995.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The current efforts are due

The conservation work happening today is a direct result

Part 2

to the Pygmy Hog Conservation from 1995.

of the official Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme launched in the year 1995.

Context and Background

Origins of the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP)

The Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP) was established in 1995 under a formal agreement between the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (DWCT), the IUCN/SSC Wild Pig Specialist Group, the Assam Forest Department, and the Union Environment Ministry. Local NGO partners Aaranyak and EcoSystems-India later joined to spearhead field research, captive management, and community-led habitat restoration.

Sentence 10 of 15

English Original

Even now, the difficulty of spotting and counting these animals means that it is hard to say how many exist in the wild; per the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, there were some 250 individuals in early 2025, with the last surviving natural population in the Panbari grasslands area of the Manas National Park.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Even now, the difficulty of and counting these animals

Even today, because it is so hard to see and census these tiny hogs in thick grass

Part 2

means that it is hard to say how many exist in the wild;

makes it difficult to accurately state their total wild numbers;

Part 3

the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust,

according to the reports of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust,

Part 4

there were some 250 in early 2025,

there were approximately 250 hogs living in the wild in early 2025,

Part 5

with the last surviving

with the only originally remaining, unintroduced wild group

Part 6

in the Panbari grasslands area of the Manas National Park.

located inside the Panbari tall grass range of Manas National Park in Assam.

Context and Background

Panbari Grasslands in Manas National Park

Manas National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Assam) is the sole habitat where an original, unbroken wild population of pygmy hogs survived. Specifically, the Panbari range within Manas served as the final natural sanctuary from which founder hogs were collected in 1996 and where ongoing conservation efforts continue to safeguard wild genetic lines.

Sentence 11 of 15

English Original

Since they continue to be threatened, the captive individuals form the insurance group, but even so, the group’s long-term evolutionary fitness is still not guaranteed.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Since they continue to be threatened,

Because pygmy hogs in the wild still face ongoing extinction dangers,

Part 2

the captive individuals form the ,

the hogs living in breeding centres serve as an emergency safety backup population,

Part 3

but ,

yet despite having this backup,

Part 4

the group’s long-term

the biological ability of these captive hogs to stay healthy, adapt, and survive over future generations

Part 5

is still not .

cannot be promised or taken for granted with certainty.

Sentence 12 of 15

English Original

Researchers are also alert to the accumulation of harmful gene variants in the population and low genetic diversity, and thus look forward to the pygmy hog’s natural habitats being restored.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Researchers are also

Scientists and wildlife experts are also watching carefully

Part 2

to the of harmful in the population

for the dangerous build-up of defective inherited traits within the small group of hogs

Part 3

and low ,

and the problem of too little variety in their inherited DNA,

Part 4

and thus look forward

and for this reason eagerly await and work towards

Part 5

to the pygmy hog’s natural habitats being .

the full recovery and replanting of the pygmy hog’s original wild grassland homes.

Sentence 13 of 15

English Original

Alluvial floodplains are dynamic ecosystems; in addition to threats such as land conversion, efforts to ‘save’ them, such as widespread dry-season fires, can still destroy the dense cover the pygmy hog needs.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Alluvial floodplains are ecosystems;

River plains with rich flood soils are constantly changing natural environments;

Part 2

threats such as ,

besides direct dangers like turning grasslands into farmland and towns,

Part 3

efforts to ‘save’ them,

human attempts intended to manage or protect these grasslands,

Part 4

such as widespread ,

like setting large parts of the dry winter grasslands on fire,

Part 5

can still destroy the cover

can accidentally wipe out the thick shelter of tall grass

Part 6

the pygmy hog needs.

that the pygmy hog strictly requires to survive.

Context and Background

The Paradox of Grassland Fire Management

Forest departments and pastoralists traditionally burn grasslands in the dry winter season (December-March) to prevent woody succession and stimulate tender forage. However, poorly timed or unmanaged fires sweep across vast areas simultaneously, incinerating the thick, tall grass thatch and ground nests that pygmy hogs rely on for shelter and breeding.

Sentence 14 of 15

English Original

On the other hand, suppressing ecological processes can leave trees and shrubs to turn grassland into woodland.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Conversely, looking at the opposite risk,

Part 2

stopping natural forces like seasonal floods and small fires completely

Part 3

can leave trees and

can allow woody trees and bushy plants to take over unchecked

Part 4

to turn grassland into .

and convert open tall grasslands into thick forest areas where pygmy hogs cannot live.

Sentence 15 of 15

English Original

Given the plan to increase the wild pygmy hog population to 300 by 2040, Assam needs to revert the fragmentation of its protected grasslands, especially in Rupahi and Kanchanbari, and to restore buffer zones around the Manas and Orang National Parks and the Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

the plan to increase the wild pygmy hog population to 300 by 2040,

Considering the official target of growing wild pygmy hog numbers to 300 by the year 2040,

Part 2

Assam needs to the fragmentation of its protected grasslands,

the state of Assam must reconnect and undo the breaking up of its protected meadow lands,

Part 3

especially in Rupahi and Kanchanbari,

particularly in the Rupahi and Kanchanbari grassland sectors of Manas,

Part 4

and to restore

and re-establish protective boundary areas free from human disturbance

Part 5

around the Manas and Orang National Parks and the Sonai Rupai Wildlife .

around Manas National Park, Orang National Park, and the Sonai Rupai wildlife reserve.

Context and Background

Assam

Under the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme’s vision, conservationists aim to establish viable, self-sustaining wild populations totaling at least 300 individuals across Assam by 2040. Reintroduced populations exist in Orang National Park, Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary, and Bornadi Wildlife Sanctuary. Securing contiguous grassland corridors in Manas (such as the Rupahi and Kanchanbari ranges) and creating disturbance-free buffer zones are essential to prevent deadly edge effects and human-wildlife conflict.

Sentence 1 of 15

Sentences Breakdown

Editorial Summary

5-Point Summary

1 The decline of the pygmy hog reflects the severe degradation of India’s sub-Himalayan alluvial floodplains.
2 Protecting this tiny mammal also safeguards other endangered grassland species, including the Bengal florican and hispid hare.
3 Assam’s captive breeding initiative has achieved impressive numerical growth, multiplying the population 32-fold across three decades.
4 Captive herds face genetic bottlenecks, while wild grasslands continue to suffer from invasive plants, improper burning, and fragmentation.
5 Securing the species’ future requires restoring fragmented grassland corridors, regulating dry-season fires, and protecting buffer zones.

Tone of the Editorial

Analytical

Why this tone?

The editorial objectively evaluates Assam’s pygmy hog conservation efforts by balancing praise for captive breeding achievements with a detailed examination of ecological, genetic, and habitat management challenges.

Sentence 1 of 15

The decline of the pygmy hog — the sole surviving species of the genus Porcula and the world’s smallest wild suid — is a narrative about the decline of India’s alluvial floodplains.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The decline of the pygmy hog —

The falling population of the pygmy hog (a tiny wild pig)

Part 2

the sole surviving species of the genus Porcula

the only remaining living type of animal in its scientific biological group

Part 3

and the world’s smallest wild suid —

and the tiniest member of the wild pig family on Earth

Part 4

is a narrative about the decline of India’s alluvial floodplains.

tells the larger story of the destruction of India’s fertile river grassland plains.

Sentence 2 of 15

The pygmy hog depends significantly on dense grasslands to feed, conceal itself, and reproduce, so distress among these animals is an indicator of the floodplain suffering degradation.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The pygmy hog depends significantly on dense grasslands

The pygmy hog relies heavily on thick, tall grass habitats

Part 2

to feed, conceal itself, and reproduce,

to find food, hide from predators, and breed safely,

Part 3

so distress among these animals

therefore, signs of trouble or dying out among these hogs

Part 4

is an indicator of the floodplain suffering degradation.

proves that the surrounding river plains are undergoing severe environmental damage.

Sentence 3 of 15

Protecting the pygmy hog can also extend protections to threatened species such as the Bengal florican, hispid hare, hog deer, and greater one-horned rhinoceros.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Protecting the pygmy hog

Taking active steps to conserve and save the pygmy hog

Part 2

can also extend protections

can likewise provide ecological safety and conservation benefits

Part 3

to threatened species

to other vulnerable wild animal populations facing extinction

Part 4

such as the Bengal florican, hispid hare, hog deer, and greater one-horned rhinoceros.

including endangered animals like the Bengal bustard bird, the bristly hare, the hog deer, and the Indian rhino.

Sentence 4 of 15

The Assam government was recently right to laud the efforts of a captive breeding programme that [increased the pygmy hog population in the State] 32-fold in the last three decades.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The Assam government was recently right

The state government of Assam was fully justified recently

Part 2

to laud the efforts of a captive breeding programme

in praising the hard work of an initiative that breeds animals in protected enclosures

Part 3

that [increased the pygmy hog population in the State] 32-fold

which managed to multiply the number of pygmy hogs in Assam by thirty-two times

Part 4

in the last three decades.

over the course of the past thirty years.

Sentence 5 of 15

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Breeding from a small founder stock

Raising animals starting from only a tiny original group of wild ancestors

Part 2

while preventing diseases —

while making sure dangerous infections do not spread,

Part 3

suids are highly susceptible to swine diseases —

(pig family animals are extremely prone to catching dangerous pig illnesses),

Part 4

and inbreeding

and avoiding mating between close animal relatives

Part 5

requires conservationists to track pedigree,

demands that wildlife experts carefully record family ancestry trees,

Part 6

follow biosafety protocols, and condition individuals before release.

strictly obey health safety rules, and train individual hogs to survive in the wild before setting them free.

Sentence 6 of 15

That said, the species’ survival in the wild depends on the survival of specific ecosystems, and the latter remains a work in progress.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

That said,

Even though that is true,

Part 2

the species’ survival in the wild

the ability of these hogs to continue living in natural forests

Part 3

depends on the survival of specific ecosystems,

relies completely on whether their exact grassland habitats remain alive and healthy,

Part 4

and the latter remains a work in progress.

and protecting those habitats is an ongoing task that is far from finished.

Sentence 7 of 15

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The pygmy hog was believed to be extinct

People thought the pygmy hog had completely died out and vanished from Earth

Part 2

by the mid-20th century

around the middle of the 1900s (around the 1950s)

Part 3

as floodplains were converted for farms, tea plantations, and flood control infrastructure

because rich river meadows were cleared to build crop fields, commercial tea gardens, and river dams/embankments

Part 4

and were degraded by invasive plants and altered flood cycles,

and natural lands were ruined by harmful spreading weeds and disrupted river flood patterns,

Part 5

with the unscientific burning of grasslands

along with the reckless, poorly managed setting on fire of tall grass meadows

Part 6

further fragmenting habitats.

breaking down continuous wild animal living spaces into tiny, isolated pieces.

Sentence 8 of 15

A few individuals were rediscovered in 1971, prompting one conservation effort.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

A few individuals were rediscovered in 1971,

A small number of wild pygmy hogs were found alive again in 1971,

Part 2

prompting one conservation effort.

leading directly to an initial wildlife protection project.

Sentence 9 of 15

The current efforts are due to the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme from 1995.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The current efforts are due

The conservation work happening today is a direct result

Part 2

to the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme from 1995.

of the official Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme launched in the year 1995.

Sentence 10 of 15

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Even now, the difficulty of spotting and counting these animals

Even today, because it is so hard to see and census these tiny hogs in thick grass

Part 2

means that it is hard to say how many exist in the wild;

makes it difficult to accurately state their total wild numbers;

Part 3

per the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust,

according to the reports of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust,

Part 4

there were some 250 individuals in early 2025,

there were approximately 250 hogs living in the wild in early 2025,

Part 5

with the last surviving natural population

with the only originally remaining, unintroduced wild group

Part 6

in the Panbari grasslands area of the Manas National Park.

located inside the Panbari tall grass range of Manas National Park in Assam.

Sentence 11 of 15

Since they continue to be threatened, the captive individuals form the insurance group, but even so, the group’s long-term evolutionary fitness is still not guaranteed.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Since they continue to be threatened,

Because pygmy hogs in the wild still face ongoing extinction dangers,

Part 2

the captive individuals form the insurance group,

the hogs living in breeding centres serve as an emergency safety backup population,

Part 3

but even so,

yet despite having this backup,

Part 4

the group’s long-term evolutionary fitness

the biological ability of these captive hogs to stay healthy, adapt, and survive over future generations

Part 5

is still not guaranteed.

cannot be promised or taken for granted with certainty.

Sentence 12 of 15

Researchers are also alert to the accumulation of harmful gene variants in the population and low genetic diversity, and thus look forward to the pygmy hog’s natural habitats being restored.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Researchers are also alert

Scientists and wildlife experts are also watching carefully

Part 2

to the accumulation of harmful gene variants in the population

for the dangerous build-up of defective inherited traits within the small group of hogs

Part 3

and low genetic diversity,

and the problem of too little variety in their inherited DNA,

Part 4

and thus look forward

and for this reason eagerly await and work towards

Part 5

to the pygmy hog’s natural habitats being restored.

the full recovery and replanting of the pygmy hog’s original wild grassland homes.

Sentence 13 of 15

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Alluvial floodplains are dynamic ecosystems;

River plains with rich flood soils are constantly changing natural environments;

Part 2

in addition to threats such as land conversion,

besides direct dangers like turning grasslands into farmland and towns,

Part 3

efforts to ‘save’ them,

human attempts intended to manage or protect these grasslands,

Part 4

such as widespread dry-season fires,

like setting large parts of the dry winter grasslands on fire,

Part 5

can still destroy the dense cover

can accidentally wipe out the thick shelter of tall grass

Part 6

the pygmy hog needs.

that the pygmy hog strictly requires to survive.

Sentence 14 of 15

On the other hand, suppressing ecological processes can leave trees and shrubs to turn grassland into woodland.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

On the other hand,

Conversely, looking at the opposite risk,

Part 2

suppressing ecological processes

stopping natural forces like seasonal floods and small fires completely

Part 3

can leave trees and shrubs

can allow woody trees and bushy plants to take over unchecked

Part 4

to turn grassland into woodland.

and convert open tall grasslands into thick forest areas where pygmy hogs cannot live.

Sentence 15 of 15

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Given the plan to increase the wild pygmy hog population to 300 by 2040,

Considering the official target of growing wild pygmy hog numbers to 300 by the year 2040,

Part 2

Assam needs to revert the fragmentation of its protected grasslands,

the state of Assam must reconnect and undo the breaking up of its protected meadow lands,

Part 3

especially in Rupahi and Kanchanbari,

particularly in the Rupahi and Kanchanbari grassland sectors of Manas,

Part 4

and to restore buffer zones

and re-establish protective boundary areas free from human disturbance

Part 5

around the Manas and Orang National Parks and the Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary.

around Manas National Park, Orang National Park, and the Sonai Rupai wildlife reserve.

Reading Comprehension

Practice questions based on this editorial

Reading Comprehension - Assam Pygmy Hog Programme

Practice reading comprehension questions based on the editorial about Assam's Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme and habitat restoration.

7 Questions Passing: 50%

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