No signs of genetic inbreeding in captive-bred pygmy hogs: CCMB

CSIR-CCMB-LaCONES, PHCP collaborate to examine reproductive and genetic fitness of these animals

Pygmy hogs are among the rare and endangered animals listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Indian Wildlife Protection Act. The present population is estimated to be less than 300 in wild and the original population may be less than 50 and restricted to Manas National Park in Assam.

The Pygmy Hog Conservation Program (PHCP), a collaborative project with Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, IUCN/SSC Wild Pig Specialist Group, Assam forest department and Ministry of Environment and Forests, EcoSystems-India and Aaranyak took up a project to save this species from extinction by breeding the animals in captivity.

Since 1996, over 500 animals were bred and 142 were released into the wild as part of the conservation program. However, all these captive individuals were offspring of seven wild caught individuals. CSIR-CCMB-LaCONES (Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species) and PHCP collaborated to examine reproductive and genetic fitness of these captive bred individuals to check for genetic diversity.