Pygmy Hog (Porcula salvania)

Описание: 🐗 *Pygmy Hog (Porcula salvania) – The Smallest Wild Pig on Earth*

The *Pygmy Hog* is a critically endangered wild pig native to the *grasslands at the foothills of the Himalayas**, mainly in **Assam, India**. It is the **smallest and rarest wild pig species in the world**, standing about **25 cm tall* and weighing only **8 to 10 kilograms**.

Once thought *extinct in the 1960s**, the species was **rediscovered in 1971* in Assam’s **Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary**. This tiny pig plays a vital ecological role — its burrowing helps aerate the soil and maintain healthy grassland ecosystems.

The Pygmy Hog’s survival is threatened by *habitat destruction**, **grassland burning**, and **agricultural expansion**. Fewer than **300 individuals* remain in the wild today.

Conservationists under the *Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP)* are working to breed and reintroduce these animals into protected areas like *Manas National Park* and **Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary**.

🌿 The Pygmy Hog stands as a symbol of **hope and resilience**, reminding us how even the smallest creatures are vital to nature’s balance.