- A new assessment in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve reports at least 55 greater hog badgers in the area.
- Researchers analysed thousands of camera trap images collected during the All India Tiger Estimation 2026, to assess the badgers.
- Greater hog badgers are elusive, nocturnal mammals and are typically found in pristine ecosystems, making them an indicator of ecosystem health.
For years, forest officials in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve have reported occasional sightings of the greater hog badger (Arctonyx collaris) during routine night patrols. But beyond these observations, little was known about its population in the reserve, its habitat and behaviour. Now, the park’s first scientific assessment of the species published in June, has provided a glimpse into the hidden world of one of Asia’s least-studied mesocarnivores.
Conducted by the Kaziranga Tiger Cell in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) and The Fishing Cat Project, the assessment estimated a minimum of 55 greater hog badgers across the 1,100 square kilometres of surveyed area and found that the species occupies nearly half the landscape.
Researchers analysed thousands of camera trap images collected during the All India Tiger Estimation’s (AITE) 2026 exercise between February and May, providing the first scientific baseline for the species and suggesting it may be more widespread than previously believed.
“The greater hog badger is an elusive nocturnal mammal. Spotting one in the wild could be a ‘call it a day’ moment for someone,” says C. Ramesh, the director of Kaziranga National Park in Assam.
Before the assessment results were published, hog badgers were thought to be extremely rare as they were barely spotted outside a few locations. “But it is quite surprising that the camera traps revealed their occurrence in almost 50% of the grids where the traps were installed.”
The species was independently detected more than 140 times from 857 camera-trap locations over the four months. Researchers analysed these records using a Royle-Nichols occupancy-abundance model, which estimates where a species occurs while accounting for the fact that elusive animals are often missed during surveys.
Ramesh says the actual population is likely to be much higher than 55 individuals because the probability of detecting a hog badger during a single survey occasion was only about 20%. He adds that the survey was designed for tigers, meaning the spacing between camera traps may have been too wide to accurately detect a smaller mammal with different movement patterns.
Finding a home in Kaziranga’s forests
The greater hog badger is found across parts of South, Central and Southeast Asia, including northeastern India, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Bangladesh. In Assam, the species has been recorded along the eastern boundary of Kaziranga.
Listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, the nocturnal mammal faces threats from habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as human-related pressures such as road development, tourism, livestock grazing and accidental snaring. In India, the species is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Despite its protected status, it remains one of the least-studied mammals in Kaziranga. Ramesh explains that many small, difficult-to-detect mammals often receive less research attention because gathering reliable information about their population, habitat use and behaviour can be challenging. “The greater hog badger in Kaziranga has faced a similar gap in understanding,” he says.
Arun Vignesh, the Divisional Forest Officer of Kaziranga, says the greater hog badger is more active in woodlands, especially along the edge where woodland meets tall grasslands. “They live close to the tall grasslands but are very active in the woodland areas,” he adds.
However, unlike tigers, rhinos and elephants, which are deeply woven into Kaziranga’s wildlife identity, hog badgers rarely feature in local memories and traditional folklore. Uttam Saikia, a former Honorary Wildlife Warden of Kaziranga, said that most people around Kaziranga National Park and other parks in Assam, rarely encounter it. “There are no folklore or oral tales associated with the greater hog badger.”
“In Assamese, they are known as mati gahori (earth pig) because of their pig-like snout and terrestrial habits. Other than that, local communities know very little about them.”
But its absence from public imagination does not reflect its ecological importance.
A hidden architect of Kaziranga’s ecosystem
The greater hog badger’s role in Kaziranga extends far beyond its own survival. As a fossorial species that spends much of its time digging through soil, it influences several processes that support the health of the landscape. “It is an ecologically important mesocarnivore whose conservation in Kaziranga National Park has implications beyond the persistence of a single species,” says Ramesh.
“As an omnivorous and highly fossorial mammal, the species contributes to ecosystem functioning through soil disturbance, nutrient redistribution and the turnover of leaf litter during foraging activities. Such digging behaviour enhances soil aeration and may facilitate seed germination and microhabitat formation for invertebrates and small vertebrates.”
Beyond its role as an ecosystem engineer, its presence can also offer clues about the condition of its habitat.
“Greater hog badgers are mostly found in areas where the ecosystem is still pristine. That is why they are an indicator of a good ecosystem,” explains Vignesh. “If there is a reduction in sightings in an area where we used to see them regularly, our staff report it through the M-STrIPES application, and then we assess what changes have happened there,” he adds.
For example, if invasive species have spread in an area, these animals tend to avoid those places, Vignesh notes. For a protected landscape like Kaziranga, where grasslands, wetlands and forests are constantly shifting, monitoring such species can provide early signs of ecological changes that may otherwise go unnoticed.
Kaziranga’s floods and unanswered questions
Kaziranga’s annual floods shape the lives of many species, forcing animals to adapt to seasonal changes in water levels. During the monsoon, several animals move away from their usual habitats in search of higher ground, and some may enter human settlements.
However, researchers still know little about how the greater hog badger responds to rising waters, including how its burrowing lifestyle helps it survive Kaziranga’s annual floods and where it takes refuge when water levels rise.
“They hardly move to human settlements. I have never seen them doing so even once during my lifetime,” says Saikia. “Some of our staff have told us that this species tends to climb trees and sometimes fallen logs to stay above the flood level.”
“We are very interested in understanding their nesting habits because most burrowing animals build nests in a way that flood water doesn’t affect them,” says Vignesh.
This first assessment has provided a clearer picture of the species, but Ramesh says long-term conservation will require a monitoring approach designed specifically for the animal. But for now the species will be monitored through regular camera-trap exercises and the findings will be published, he added.
In Kaziranga, the greater hog badger’s story is a reminder that understanding an ecosystem requires looking beyond its most visible species and recognising the many others that quietly sustain it.
Banner image: A greater hog badger caught on camera trap after dusk. Image courtesy of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.
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