I have just seen this article from Wuppertal Zoo that was published a few days ago. According to the article, several long-term monitoring sites for babirusa have had no sightings at all for several months and the possibility is raised that the species may be either extinct in the wild or approaching that status.
While their population has been reduced by hunting, deforestation and mining, it seems that the main issue the babirusa has been facing is the arrival of African Swine Fever onto Sulawesi. Babirusa are highly susceptible to the disease, which has a mortality rate of up to 95%.
Personally, I am not convinced that the species is yet extinct in the wild - Sulawesi seems like a pretty big place and I'm sure there are places where they haven't been surveyed. Even so, the disappearance of the studied populations is rather alarming.
While their population has been reduced by hunting, deforestation and mining, it seems that the main issue the babirusa has been facing is the arrival of African Swine Fever onto Sulawesi. Babirusa are highly susceptible to the disease, which has a mortality rate of up to 95%.
Personally, I am not convinced that the species is yet extinct in the wild - Sulawesi seems like a pretty big place and I'm sure there are places where they haven't been surveyed. Even so, the disappearance of the studied populations is rather alarming.
