Bearded Pig Sus barbatus
Vulnerable
Extant (resident): Brunei Darussalam; Indonesia (Kalimantan, Sumatera); Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak, Sabah)
Possibly Extinct: Philippines
Extinct: Singapore
The Bearded Pig has hair which grows along its lower jaw that resembles a beard – giving the animal its name as well as a defining characteristic which differentiates it from other wild boar species.
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
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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.
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.
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…
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