Guwahati, June 7 -- Fifteen captive-bred pygmy hogs were released into the Kuribeel grasslands of Manas National Park on Sunday under the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP).

Thirty years ago, in 1996, six Pygmy Hogs were taken from this very site into captivity to establish an insurance population against extinction.

As the species gradually disappeared from this landscape, the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme, a coalition of partners led by Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in collaboration with the Forest Department, has spent the last eight years restoring its grassland habitat with the Assam Forest Department, and communities and the Forest Department strengthening protection measures.

On June 7, the PHCP are bringing their ...