Babirusa

The babirusa is a wonderful animal. Unique, odd, ugly; just some of the words I've heard people call them. Are there any in Austrailian zoos? They are quite rare in the UK. I think that there only about 3 zoos that have them.

 

In a short answer NO

the closest thing we have to an exotic pig is a peccary

 

3? I would've said more, I've seen them in at least 4, though I'm not sure all of those still keep them.

 

Well, there's Chester, Twycross and South lakes. Edinburgh does not keep them, and neither do the aspinnal parks. As far as I know.....

 

Babirusa in the UK are at Chester, Dudley, Marwell, South Lakes and Twycross. I can't remeber seeing them at Marwell but I've seen them in every other collection listed. I first saw them at Jersey in 1989.

 

So which of those zoos have bred them? Did Jersey breed them?

 

why doesnt edinburgh have the babirusa any more?

 

I think they moved on for the arrival of the Negros island warty pig. I saw a pair of them last november and they were doing well, but now there is a pair of Goarl in one of their enclosure, and a piar of warty pigs in the other.

Ask bong. He'd know more...

 

Colchester also have Babirusa- or they did until a few years ago.

 

I went to Colchester in July 2006 and I don't remember seeing babirusa, but it may be that I missed them. (However ISIS no longer shows Colchester as keeping them). I was more interested in seeing the dik-dik, the slender-snouted crocodiles and the blue duiker. Unfortunately the latter had died out by the time I visited. Jersey did breed babirusas, when I find the details I will post them.

 

Thrigby hall also kept Babirusa when I last visited (which must've been early 90s), does anyone know if it still does? Its not ISIS registered.

 

Babirusa are listed on the Thrigby Hall website. It has admission detalis for 2007, though there is no indication of when the rest of the information was updated.

 

This thread into a 'UK zoos' one, but never mind....

It seems Colchester no longer have their Babirusa- they're not mentioned under their EEP breeding programmes and they would be if they were still there. Maybe they were sent to another of the UK zoos holding this species?

 

Maybe that's chester's new male? Or it could be the male from edinburgh. All I know is that his tusks look awful. They're bent and not nearly as nice as Elliot's. His were curved nicely and made him look nice.