Bornean bearded Pigs (Sus barbatus barbatus) in Captivity

[Batto]

Well when it comes to red river hogs and warthogs I would guess that part of the appeal and ubiquity of these species is because of how easy these are kept (not 100% sure on that though) which I think is quite a shame given that neither are of any conservation significance.

With the Asian suids like the babirusa and Visayan warty pigs these are obviously much more important to maintain in zoos for ex-situ conservation so I do think it is a really positive development that more zoos are keeping them.

Yes, definitely agree, I didn't mean that it was a novel disease but rather that its spread as an emerging infectious disease is novel and sadly it seems that it has recently arrived in South-East Asia and will in all probability severely impact wild suid populations:

African swine fever rips through parts of southern Indonesia

RRH = pretty
Warthog = TLK fame

That positive development, as you put it, also means that there are less available positions for other endangered suid species, like Javan warty pigs, bearded pigs etc. One if any tropical suid species is enough for most European zoos these days. And pigs aren't that popular among Joe Average zoo visitor.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

RRH = pretty
Warthog = TLK fame

That positive development, as you put it, also means that there are less available positions for other endangered suid species, like Javan warty pigs, bearded pigs etc. One if any tropical suid species is enough for most European zoos these days. And pigs aren't that popular among Joe Average zoo visitor.

Yes, thats pretty much what I think drives it too.

Well it is a positive development but as you've mentioned in this and your previous comment there could and should be more available positions available for the other threatened Asiatic suids and ideally the Chaco peccary.

True though they are not as popular with the Joe average visitor and I'm sure this is at least one of the factors why they aren't kept by more zoos.

 

[Batto]

there could and should be more available positions available

There's a wide difference between what zoos could / should do and what do and what they are actually doing. Chaco peccaries are also becoming more common in European zoos.

Let's face it: a zoo truly dedicated to conservation would be rather boring for the great majority of visitors. "Where are the white tigers?" "We don't keep white tigers." "Where are the meerkats, pygmy goats or ghastly kitsch souvenir shops and fast food joints full of plastic garbage?" "We don't have any of those here either. But we keep several breeding groups of bearded pigs and rare Brazilian callithrids... " "We're leaving. One star review coming up..."

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

There's a wide difference between what zoos could / should do and what do and what they are actually doing.

Let's face it: a zoo truly dedicated to conservation would be rather boring for the great majority of visitors. "Where are the white tigers?" "We don't keep white tigers." "Where are the meerkats, pygmy goats or ghastly kitsch souvenir shops and fast food joints full of plastic garbage?" "We don't have any of those here either. But we keep several breeding groups of bearded pigs and... " "We're leaving. One star review coming up..."

Lol, yeah I know, no zoo is going to purely have a collection based on ex-situ conservation I mean even Jersey zoo have their ring tailed lemurs, meerkats and Asian short clawed otters.

As unlikely a scenario as it is wouldn't it be wonderful if there were actually places out there though which didn't do the lowest common denominator thing ?

 

[Batto]

if there were actually places out there though which didn't do the lowest common denominator thing ?

Maybe such places already exist? ^^

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

Maybe such places already exist? ^^

Very modest, lol

No, yes, I agree , they do and there is a possibility for these places to exist despite the difficulties because of this being a vacant niche so to speak.

For example, here in this city the serpentarium at Instituto Butantan is pretty popular with the public who specifically go there to see the snakes and spiders despite the larger SP zoo with its collection of mammals also being here.

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

With a deadly suid disease ransacking across NE Sabah it would be imperative to focus more on conservation breeding of rare and restricted suid species. The decision to phase out Bornean bearded pig may not be a great one ....

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

With a deadly suid disease ransacking across NE Sabah it would be imperative to focus more on conservation breeding of rare and restricted suid species. The decision to phase out Bornean bearded pig may not be a great one ....

Thats what I thought when I read the Mongabay article, in fact it was the first thing that came to mind.

 

[Sarus Crane]

Given that the few positions for neotropical suids in European zoos are already filled in by babirusa, Visayan warty pigs, RRHs and warthogs, I wouldn't hold my breath on that.
African swine fever (ASF) isn't "new"; what is new is its increased spread all over the world in the last few years.
The spread of diseases within wild populations can be just as dreadful even it is not a zoonotic disease. ASF, for example, only affects suids.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet: bearded pigs can be rather vicious. That doesn't mean that other wild suids are sweet harmless pets, but the pig keepers at Zoo Berlin oddly underlined that when talking about them.

Vicious? what makes them more so than Warthogs, Red River Hogs, Babirusas, and others. I know Berlin has White-Lipped Peccaries. I know they are notorious for being vicious like the more commonly known Javelina snapping its canines and charging predators as a group.

 

[Batto]

Vicious? what makes them more so than Warthogs, Red River Hogs, Babirusas, and others?

Why don't you ask the pig keepers at Zoo Berlin?
The defensive behavior of peccaries is well-known. And don't lecture me on the dangerousness of wild suids: one of my friends was killed by a wild boar, and I have been attacked by them more than once.

 

[Coelacanth18]

I don't blame keepers for not wanting to work with a species known for being particularly hazardous, especially from an already dangerous and feisty taxonomic group. After all, there are factors that go into deciding what species are best to keep in collections; temperament is certainly one of them.

My condolences about your friend @Batto.

 

[Batto]

Thanks @Coelacanth18 He was a great guy; a conservationist and a man of the great outdoors. We still miss him to this very day.