Durrells Underhogs

After a few days in a specially built holding area the door was pulled back and a family of captive born Pygmy Hogs took their first steps into the wild. They paused for a moment, then the adult male led them all out. This was the image that captured that moment I still remember fondly from last May in Assam, India. Critically endangered in the wild this breeding program is trying to ensure these wonderful and enduring Pygmy Hogs don’t go extinct.

A film has now been released covering the amazing work by the team in Assam, India to save the critically endangered Pygmy Hog.  Durrell’s “Underhogs” tells the story of the smallest pigs in the world and also traces the origins of Gerald Durrell in India and then joins up with the Durrell team who are building on his legacy. The film on these critically endangered Pygmy Hogs, found only in Assam, will be screened at the wildlife film festival in New York in October.

I covered this wonderful 100th Pygmy Hog release for Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust last year when this film was being made. You can read my adventures of this amazing event by clicking here.

Pygmy Hogs are incredibly rare mammals, they live in the southern foothills of the Himalayas. They are one of very few mammals that build a nest from materials found naturally in their habitat. They do this to sit out the hot sun and also to sleep under during the night. These wonderful little creatures hollow out a small hole in the ground then construct a roof over the top and climb inside to sleep. In this video you see the adult male building the nest as the youngsters watch and try to help in its construction.

It was a wonderful event to be asked to cover and watching this film brought it all back home too me as alot of it was filmed during my two weeks there. Incredible work going on to save these lovely little hogs and I hope to be back there one day. Its very important for me as a person and a wildlife photographer to not just take “nice” images but to also photograph the not so nice things I see and that happen to wildlife and also the work that goes into helping wildlife. On the following link you will see some of my conservation work. If you’d like me to help or cover a project or cause then please get into via email, many thanks.