Hello Everyone

Today a group of students from a local school visited us. We usually get visitors in our pre-release centre where we have a display unit. Beside native people and local students’, tourists from different parts of the world also come to see this critically endangered pygmy hog. Our pre-release center is close to a Nameri National Park and eco tourist resort. Nameri is famous for bird watching specially the white winged wood duck. Have you seen this bird at Jersey Zoo? if not look for it in your next visit to Durrell, it is there.

I usually tell the visitors how unique pygmy hog is and why conservation of their habitat is so important. We also sometimes go the villages close to Manas National Park to make villagers aware about the species and the importance of the habitat. I want native people to feel proud of this endemic species so that they get inspiration to contribute a little way towards the conservation of not only pygmy hog but also other species and their habitat. I want them to take something back to their home … may be a pamphlet …written in native language … with images … hoping that it may remind them of our conservation message. So I am looking for some funds to develop educational materials for this important purpose.

We do not allow any visitors to visit pre-release enclosures. Anyway it is difficult to see pygmy hogs in this simulated habitat. So you might wonder how difficult it would be to monitor them after the release in their wild habitat. They do not have proper neck for fitting radio collars as in other animal which you may have seen in “Animal Planet” or “National Geographic” channels. Our previous attempts of radio telemetry failed. So we are working on it, developing a device which can be fitted on the hogs which will carry tiny radio transmitter. From the signal received we can monitor their movement and how they are utilising their habitat. This will tell us more about the biology of this secretive species.

But so far we are monitoring released pygmy hogs with some difficulties. We walk in grassland, looking for field signs (foot prints, foraging marks, pallets). Sometimes we able to locate their nest and install camera traps to take their picture. But this process of walking in the tall grassland may be dangerous also if you are not properly equipped. Let me tell you one incidence. In the year 2011, just after release of pygmy hogs in Orang National Park we were looking for field signs. A domestic elephant ridden by a mahout (Hindu word for a man who looks after and rides elephants) and a forest guard carrying an gun accompanied the field team. They were with us to protect us from any tiger and rhino danger. While walking on the grassland the mahout on top of elephant failed to spot a Rhino lying in a water hole close to the search team.  Suddenly the Rhino appeared in front of us and probably he was shocked to see a group of people and an elephant close to him. He charged us. But the elephant was brave enough to stand between us and the guard fired his gun in the air to scare him. The rhino ran away and we ran to the opposite direction to a safe location. We hope that we may avoid this kind of dangerous situation if we able to develop new device to monitor released hogs.

Now I would like to stop my story here. Daniel is going to meet you soon and tell you more about us. But before stopping let me share my feelings. When I heard about your effort to help me or any one of my co-conservationist working in different parts of the world to save a needy species, I see a hope. You are special, conservation is already in your mind … you already recognised the need of the world, and because of that you want to contribute even in small way towards conservation. Whom you send your assistance does not matter ... but thank you ... for your interest and action.

I should also thank your parents and teachers of Granville School who actually generate interest on you and guiding you to take action.

And I am sure some of you will be conservationists in the future. Being a conservationist you will enjoy your life and also contributing towards the survival of this world. And those who will choose other paths I would like to request you to keep the conservation in mind while taking any action.

All the best

Parag