Assam: Uma Thaokhri Music Festival to Raise Awareness for Critically Endangered Pygmy Hog in Udalguri

A CORRESPONDENT

TANGLA: In a bid to raise awareness about the conservation of the critically endangered pygmy hog, Uma Thaokhri (Pygmy Hog) Music Festival is set to be hosted on December 29 next at Simuluguri, Dimakuchi, along the banks of the Suklai River in Udalguri district.

The pygmy hog, once found in abundance across the Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary located along the Indo-Bhutan border in Udalguri, is now considered extinct in the wild due to habitat destruction and other environmental threats. The event aims to highlight the urgent need to protect this species and preserve its habitat. The festival is being organized by Maru Production, with the active support of the local conservationists and stakeholders of Udalguri.

The one-day event promises a vibrant lineup of activities, including cultural performances, exhibitions of local crafts, food stalls showcasing indigenous cuisines, and a grand cultural evening. A major attraction of the festival will be a live performance by popular Bollywood singer Ash King, alongside several talented local artists.

Speaking about the event, social activist Jousrang Boro said, “The pygmy hog is a vital part of our ecosystem, and its extinction serves as a grave warning about the state of our environment. Through this festival, we aim to educate people about its significance and the need for conservation.”

According to reports, there are currently nearly 50 captive-bred Pygmy Hogs thriving in the Bornadi wildlife sanctuary and it is  one of the very few mammals that build its own home, or nest, complete with a ‘roof’ and is an indicator species as its presence reflects the health of its primary habitat, the tall, wet grasslands of the region.

Pertinently, Pygmy Hog is the world’s smallest and rarest extant suid and only a handful of people can ever claim to have seen it in the wild. It is 55 to 71 cm long, weighs around 8 to 11 kg and stands just 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) tall. The elusive pygmy hog, that featured in the first IUCN/WWF (1984) list of the 12 most threatened animal species in the world, had catapulted Barnadi into global prominence following the rediscovery of the Pygmy hog and Hispid hare in 1971 (after both were thought to be extinct).

Situated in Udalguri district close to the international Indo -Bhutan, Bornadi wildlife sanctuary, spread over  26.21 sq km, is among the oldest protected areas of Assam and was declared a reserve forest in 1942. It was elevated to a sanctuary in 1980 to enhance long-term conservation prospects of the pygmy hog and the hispid hare. Bornadi, which forms a part of the Manas Tiger Reserve, also shelters elephants, tigers, leopards, black leopards, gaurs, pangolins, capped langurs, slow loris’, sambars, barking deer, hog deer, wild dogs, porcupines, etc., and a sizeable avian population, including four species of the hornbill, and migratory birds. The sanctuary is acclaimed for its scenic beauty and is bordered by the Bornadi river on the west and the Nalanadi river to the east.

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