African Swine Fever outbreak in Assam: Extinction threat to pygmy hogs, smallest pigs found in Assam jungles

The outbreak of African Swine Fever in Assam and parts of neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh has brought the threat of extinction to pygmy hogs, the smallest and rarest pigs, currently left in some pockets in Assam only.

With swine fever already killing over 18,000 pigs in Assam this year so far, conservationists working to save the species from being extinct through conservation breeding in Assam since 1996 fears that infection of wild boars, which is already suspected in some areas, could infect the pygmy hogs and wipe out the entire population fast.

"Pygmy hogs are susceptible to domestic pig disease. Our hogs have never been exposed to African Swine Fever, so if it reaches our breeding centre, anything can happen. We may lose the entire captive population," said Parag Jyoti Deka, project director of Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP) in Assam.

Once thought to be extinct, pygmy hogs were rediscovered in 1971 and now it has a wild population of a little more than 300, all in the jungles in Assam. At least 130 of them have been re-introduced in Manas National Park, Orang National Park, Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary and Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary after captive breeding under the project.

The PHCP is a collaborative project involving Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, IUCN/SSC Wild Pig Specialist Group, Assam forest department, Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change, Govt of India, EcoSystems-India and Aaranyak, a biodiversity conservation group in Assam.

The African swine fever spreads mainly by direct contact between pigs, infected meat or contaminated materials.

The pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) belongs to a unique genus that has no close relative. It stands about 25 cm from the ground and weighs 6 to 9 kg. It lives in small (4-8) groups that construct thatch ‘houses’ (nests) to live in. The species was originally found in the narrow belt of tall alluvial grasslands that runs across the southern edge of the Himalayas in the Indian subcontinent.

According to wildlife conservationists, a pygmy hog is an indicator species for the health of tall wet grassland habitat across the southern foothills of the Himalayas, which has seen a lot of destruction over the years.

With a vaccine to fight African Swine Fever yet to come, PHCP has taken up safety measures including the bio-security measures introduced by the Durrel Trust's head of veterinary services, Andrew Routh during the foot and mouth disease that hit the UK in 2001. A decontamination facility has been started in the Pygmy Hog Breeding Centre at Basistha in Guwahati and at the pre-release facility at Potasali in Nameri Tiger Reserve.

Manoj Saikia, chairman of Assam Livestock and Poultry Corporation told DH that the African Swine Fever has already killed more than 18,000 pigs in Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Biswanath, Morigaon, Sonitpur, Golaghat, Jorhat and Kamrup districts. "Since the vaccine is yet to come, culling of pigs has started in order to prevent further spread," he said.