Bearded Pig Sus barbatus
Vulnerable
Extant (resident): Brunei Darussalam; Indonesia (Kalimantan, Sumatera); Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak, Sabah)
Possibly Extinct: Philippines
Extinct: Singapore
Bearded pigs have hair which grows along their jowls and resembles a beard giving them their namesake. They live in forests, swamplands and mangroves. Tragically they are now extinct in Singapore and Philippines. They are vulnerable in Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia due to palm oil and rubber deforestation and human persecution. Help them every time you shop and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife
A gardener of the forests in #Asia the Bearded Pig is a vital part of many ecosystems. #Extinct in some countries, they are #Vulnerable due to #deforestation for #palmoil and #rubber. Help them and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife
Tweet
The three primary threats facing Bearded Pigs is the conversion of forests for agriculture, particularly oil palm and rubber, fragmentation of remaining habitat, and unsustainable logging primarily for dipterocarps.
The Bearded Pigs have hair which grows along their lower jaws that resembles a beard – giving the animal their name. It is this distinctive look that sets them apart from other wild boar species.
Both subspecies of Bearded Pigs are found in all habitat types within their range (all elevations of forest, as well as peat swamp and mangrove forests) (Caldecott et al. 1993). Bearded Pig Sus barbaratus is assessed as Vulnerable because of a population decline, believed to be more than 30% over the last three generations (taken as 21 years), inferred from over-exploitation, shrinkage in distribution, and habitat destruction and degradation.
In Borneo, fragmentation prevents Bearded Pigs from exhibiting mass population eruptions and long-distance movements of the kind observed during the 1950s and 1980s, which haven’t been observed since, even during successive masting events (Hancock et al. 2005).
A recent analysis shows there are also synergistic effects of climate change and agricultural land use, indicating there may be a substantial increase of oil palm expansion into hill forests within the next few decades (Brodie 2016). The imminent threat of fragmentation hinders Bearded Pigs’ ability to track seasonal resources across large areas.
IUCN Red List
Support the conservation of this species
This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.
Further Information
Luskin, M., Ke, A., Meijaard, E., Gumal, M. & Kawanishi, K. 2017. Sus barbatus (errata version published in 2018). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T41772A123793370. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T41772A44141317.en. Downloaded on 15 February 2021.
Borneo’s bearded pig, gardener of forests and protector of their inhabitants
Edmond Dounias, Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD) Borneo – fourth-largest island in the world, home to more than 20 million people – has always aroused the fascination of explorers. The island is dense with forests, waterways and soaring mountains, and its indigenous population have a deep relationship with the forest. A fragile landscape…
Keep reading
How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?
Contribute in five ways
1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.
2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.
3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.
4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.
5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here
Palm Oil Detectives 