Visayan warty pig. One of the most endangered pigs in the world
When we hear the word “pig” we immediately have one and the same picture in our heads – domestic pigs. There are, however, several species of pigs in the world which live in the wild. As a matter of fact, one of them can be found in the Philippines and more specifically in the Visayas, where we work. Let us introduce the Visayan warty pig, which unfortunately is the swine species that is the most threatened with extinction on Earth.
One of the most “stylish” pigs
This pig species is named after the three pairs of fleshy warts on the face of the males. They are believed to function as a protection of the visage, when the males fight with each other and can be harmed by their tusks. The Visayan warty pigs are mostly known for the males’ distinctive mohawk-like hair that can stretch from the crown of the head to the rump. This tuft of hair can grow very long, which sometimes might give these pigs an “artistic” appearance in our eyes 🙂
A distinctive feature of this species is also the white stripe on the nose behind the mouth. The Visayan warty pigs are dark gray without any patterns, only piglets have stripes, which disappear later on. The males, or boars, tend to be larger than the females, or sows.
Equally “extravagant” behaviour
This species lives in social groups, which are called sounders. They consist of a single male, several adult females, and their young. Family groups generally have 3–6 members, although they might occasionally include up to a dozen individuals. They usually forage together in family groups and constantly communicate through squeaks, grunts, and chirrups. Visayan warty pigs are primarily active during the night (nocturnal) or twilight (crepuscular), seeking rest in hollows during daylight hours. They eat basically everything (we call it “omnivorous” in zoology). From tubers, fruits to insects, earthworms and even cultivated crops.
That is basically what we know about their behaviour. It is extremely difficult to see them in the wild. You might wonder now, what is “extravagant” among these typical animal habits? Now is the most interesting part 🙂 The Visayan warty pig was spotted using tools! It was seen in Jardin des Plantes in Paris. The sow was using the piece of bark to dig the nest for young. This was the first evidence of such behaviour in swine. Amazing, isn’t it? These are intelligent animals.
Visayan warty pig on the brink…
This small forest-dwelling pig is endemic to the Western Visayas region. They were originally found across the six Visayan islands of the Philippines: Bohol, Leyte, Cebu, Masbate, Negros, Panay, and Samar. Once widespread, its range is now limited to only two islands: Negros and Panay. Near-total deforestation for valuable hardwoods in the 1970s and ‘80s in West Visayas resulted in huge habitat loss. Thus, it led to the decline of the population. The species actually disappeared from 98% of its original range!
Since the habitat is disappearing, so are the Visayan warty pigs’ food sources. What happens then? The pigs looking for food started encroaching farmers’ fields. By doing so the crops can be damaged. As a result, there is rather bad sentiment prevailing among the local people. Since they destroy cultivated lands and are not liked, consequently they become the target of hunting.
If you think that’s all, you are unfortunately wrong. Besides the aforementioned threats, the Visayan warty pig is prone to genetic contamination. It can breed with free-ranging domestic and feral swines which results in hybrids (and therefore loss of genetic distinctiveness).
Is there hope?
Yes, it is! Even though there are just a few hundreds of individuals in the wild, the captive breeding comes with the rescue. The Visayan warty pig breeds in captivity, both in the centers in the Philippines and outside. The local centers carry out educational programmes as well as research activities to get more information about this species. Besides, they breed Visayan warty pigs to reintroduce the captive-bred individuals into the wild.
The global population of the species reaches a similar number to that in the wild. There are several dozens of zoos that breed the species, both in Europe and North America. You can see the Visayan warty pig in Poland as well – in Poznań and Łódź!
Authors: Kristine Fariolen (USC’s Student), Filip Wojciechowski