To give you an idea of the grassland habitat of the pygmy hog I'm sharing a 40 sec video of me a couple of years ago. I'm battling through the tall, sharp grass in full sun, whilst looking for pygmy hog nests and hoping tigers were not too close. The length of the Pygmy hog can be up to 71 centimeters and height can be 30 centimeters. Pygmy hog natural habitat consists of relatively flat terrain covered in densely packed 2 metre high ‘elephant grass’. Simulated environments are important as the hogs need to learn to become independent in as natural a setting as possible before being released. The pygmy hog is one of the very few mammals that build its own home, or nest, complete with a ‘roof’, but maybe more important than its own attributes, is the fact that it is an indicator species. However, human encroachment has largely destroyed the natural habitat of the pygmy hog by development, agriculture, domestic grazing, and … Simulated environments are important as the hogs need to learn to become independent in as natural a setting as possible before being released. Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust has launched a comprehensive conservation strategy including field status surveys of pygmy hogs and their habitats, behavioural studies, personnel training, local community awareness and assistance programmes, and the establishment of a highly successful captive-breeding programme at the Pygmy Hog Research and Breeding Centre in Assam. Pygmy hog natural habitat consists of relatively flat terrain covered in densely packed 2 metre high ‘elephant grass’. Its presence reflects the health of its primary habitat, the tall, wet grasslands of the region. Pygmy hog inhabits areas covered with tall, dense grass, mixed scrublands and secondary forests. Once found in the grass lands of whole southern Himalayan foot hill, Pygmy Hog has faced the wrath of human civilization and has been wiped out from most of it’s habitat. They used to be widespread in the tall, wet grasslands in the southern Himalayan foothills from Uttar Pradesh to Assam, through Nepal and north Bengal. The pygmy hog is one of the the very few mammals that build its own home, or nest, complete with a ‘roof’, but maybe more important than its own attributes, is the fact that it is an indicator species. Therefore, if the pygmy hog population flourishes, it indicates there is ample grassland in the habitat and therefore the entire biodiversity of the ecosystem is flourishing. The pygmy hog featured in the first IUCN/WWF (1984) list of the 12 most threatened animal species in the world.