This is one small hog. Photo courtesy of Biji Boro/AFP ( Getty Images ).As part of a conservation program to save the species from near extinction in 1960s, twelve pygmy-hogs (Porcu salvatania) were released into n ortheast India last Wednesday. With only 250 remaining wild pigs, the species is extremely rare.AdvertisementHogs are the smallest pig species, measuring in at just 10 inches (25.4 cm) as tall as adults and weighing in at around 20 pounds (9.1 kg). They are about the same size as Scottish Terriers. The pigs have the typical piggish snouts. Their brown color is mottled, which makes them look more like a capybara and a boar's head. Pigs can eat anything, from roots and tubers to small rodents and insects.After the expansion of farmland in the pigs' native grassland habitats in Nepal, Nepal, and Bhutan, the animals were thought to be extinct by the 1960s. In 1971, the pigs' survival was confirmed. However, by the 1990s their range had been reduced to Manas National Park in India's state of Assam. Their population is estimated at 250 making them one of the most rare pigs in the entire world.The Pygmy Hog Conservation Program was created in 1996 to keep the pigs captive and then release them into the wild. Dhritiman Das (the field scientist for this program) said that 12 pygmy hogs will be released, including seven male and five women. We plan to release 60 hogs in the next four years. This will allow them to build their own wild population.It's fair to say that the condition of the pigs has improved in the 50 years since they were rediscovered. They are winning the numbers game. However, reproducing piglets in the wild is only one aspect of the problem. National Geographic reported that the animals still face habitat loss. You can't add more hogs in a restricted range no matter how pygmy. Conservationists are concerned about African swine flu. It was discovered in the region around the same time that covid-19.Let's hope the pigs continue to move forward. The 12 newest pigs to be released from captivity: Welcome to the wild.More: Teacup Pigs Are Totally Not Real
