The length of the Pygmy hog can be up to 71 centimeters and height can be 30 centimeters. Simulated environments are important as the hogs need to learn to become independent in as natural a setting as possible before being released. Habitat loss and degradation. However, no pygmy hog has been recorded there since 1994. Also, the habitat suited to pygmy hogs is equally crucial for the survival of several other endangered species such as the one-horned rhinoceros, tiger, swamp deer, wild buffalo, hispid hare and Bengal florican. “It was essential, therefore, that the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP) follows a two-pronged action plan: conservation breeding of the animal against possible early extinction and re-introduction in selected sites, and habitat management,” said the advisor to PHCP, Goutam Narayan.

The main threats to survival of pygmy hog are loss and degradation of habitat due to encroachment by human settlements, agricultural encroachments, flood control schemes, and improper management. The population in Barnadi was believed to have been lost by 1981, due to extensive habitat burning, until a small number was rediscovered in 1990. The decline of the pygmy hog in Assam is mainly due to the disappearance, fragmentation and degradation of the grassland habitat on which it relies on to survive. Currently the species is confined to the tall grass upland of Manas National Park in Assam with an estimated population of below 250. I nearly lost my guide in front when I turned around!

Intense deforestation and habitat destruction due to accelerated development of agriculture, overgrazing and fires, led to drastic reduction in the number of pygmy hogs in the wild.

Pygmy hog inhabits areas covered with tall, dense grass, mixed scrublands and secondary forests. Pygmy hog natural habitat consists of relatively flat terrain covered in densely packed 2 metre high ‘elephant grass’. The pygmy hog is one of the the very few mammals that build its own home, or nest, complete with a ‘roof’, but maybe more important than its own attributes, is the fact that it is an indicator species. To give you an idea of the grassland habitat of the pygmy hog I'm sharing a 40 sec video of me a couple of years ago. They used to be widespread in the tall, wet grasslands in the southern Himalayan foothills from Uttar Pradesh to Assam, through Nepal and north Bengal. Gestation Period The gestation period of this species is found to be 100 days.
Therefore, if the pygmy hog population flourishes, it indicates there is ample grassland in the habitat and therefore the entire biodiversity of the ecosystem is flourishing. Therefore, if the pygmy hog population flourishes, it indicates there is ample grassland in the habitat and therefore the entire biodiversity of the ecosystem is flourishing. Pygmy hog natural habitat consists of relatively flat terrain covered in densely packed 2 metre high ‘elephant grass’. Once found in the grass lands of whole southern Himalayan foot hill, Pygmy Hog has faced the wrath of human civilization and has been wiped out from most of it’s habitat.