The Status of Nepal's Mammals: The National Red List Series - IUCN

19
Regionally Extinct
1) Porcula salvania (Hodgson, 1847)
Common Names
Pygmy Hog (English); Pudke Badel (Nepali)
Synonyms
Sus salvanius (Hodgson, 1847)
Species Description
Adults have grey-brown to black bristly coats, and
are rounded in shape with very short tails. The male
has small tusks. Young are born with red stripes.
Species Ecology
The Pygmy Hog is dependent on early successional
riverine communities, typically comprising of dense
tall grasslands intermixed with a wide variety of
herbaceous plants and early colonising shrubs and
young trees. The most important grasslands for
Pygmy hogs are those which are dominated by
Saccharum spontaneum, S. bengalensis, Themeda
villosa, Narenga porphyrocoma and Imperata
cylindrica. The Pygmy Hog becomes sexually mature
at around 23 months, and produces a litter of three
young after a gestation period of approximately 100
days. Life span is between 10 to 12 years in the wild.
Reproduction is thought to be seasonal with peak
birthing season coinciding with the monsoon.
Conservation Status
Global: Critically Endangered
The Pygmy Hog (Sus salvanius) has been assessed
as Regionally Extinct. It is unlikely that there exists a
self-sustaining population in Nepal. There have been
no observations of this species in Nepal since the
1970s and there is no evidence that the species still
occurs in Nepal. However, no exhaustive monitoring
and surveys have been carried out to confirm this.
It is believed the species decline is due to
indiscriminate burning of grasslands and habitat
loss.
Legal Status
CITES Appendix I
Listed in the National Parks and Wildlife
The distributions shown are from previous records of this species in
Nepal. It is now no longer believed to occur within Nepal
Conservation Act 2029 (1973) as protected priority
species.
National Population Size
There is no information available on the population
size or status of this species in Nepal.
National Distribution
This species was last reported in the 1970s from
Trijuga, Koshi Tappu, Chitwan and possibly
historically occurred in Bardia National Park and
Shukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve. This species may no
longer occur in Nepal but an effective survey needs
to be carried out to confirm its presence or absence.
Distribution outside Nepal
This species is currently known to occur in Assam,
India, with a possible presence in Bhutan.
Main Threats
• Habitat loss and fragmentation.
• Indiscriminate burning of grasslands.