Today is the birth centenary of Gerald Durrell, the remarkable British naturalist and writer whose most famous book - first published as My Family and Other Animals - was described as the Harry Potter of its day, and is still very popular. He was actually born in Jamshedpur (his parents too were born in India) but he moved back to the UK when he was three years old. He retained a keen interest in India and had been in touch with Indira Gandhi in the late 1970s. Later, the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust helped launch the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme near Guwahati in 1995. This smallest and rarest of pig species had faced imminent extinction but by now, close to 60 pgymy hogs have been released into its historical habitat in Assam's Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve. Its population in the Orang National Park, also in Assam, is now probably around 150 or so. The pygmy hog may not be as magnificent like the tiger, rhinoceros, lion, or elephant but the success India has had in its conservation spearheaded by Dr. Goutam Narayan deserves to be better known and applauded. I had last visited his Pygmy Hog Research and Breeding Centre at Basishta, Guwahati in Aug 2017 and it was a memorable experience.