What caused the decline of the Sulawesi babirusa being kept in European zoos ?

I remember having seen these extraordinary looking suids at a number of European zoos during the 1990's and early 2000's and looking on Zootierliste it appears that over 30 zoos across the continent once held and presumably bred the babirusa.

Today if Zootierliste is anything to go by the number of zoos in Europe that currently hold the species has shrunken to a mere 9 and the majority of these are located in Germany.

I was wondering whether anyone knows more about what the historic causes were that drove the decline of this species being kept in zoos?

Was it another case of zoo curators getting bored with them or these pigs not proving to be charismatic enough with visitors or something involving EAZA perhaps ?

 

I had seen a pair at the Port Lypmne zoo back in 1987. I believe Jersey zoo has had them also!

 

Yes, Jersey definitely did have them too, I would love to know why they stopped keeping them actually.

It seems highly unusual to me that a species would be kept so widely by zoos and then within a decade or two begin fading away from collections.

 

I seemed to remember they mentioned they got their 2 from Jersey!

 

You mean the ones at Port Lympne were originally Jersey stock ?

 

I believe so!

 

That is really interesting, I wonder why they were sent to the Aspinall parks from Jersey.

 

Its likely they were bred there and then placed into another collection that wanted them!
I believe that Singapore has them but no idea on the numbers there!

 

A) An ageing population;
B) Inconsistent breeding success;
C) A lack of knowledge on ecology, genetics (mind: 3 species and/or further speciation, that question has not fully been resolved till date, but boundaries have become clearer) general science of the suid babirusa and consequently the optimum husbandry and management of the species in captivity. To a certain point that is as yet still the case with FF only breeding in their youngers years and not beyond a certain age;
D) Also to a point: disinterest from senior management (general, commercial, PR/marketing, visitor experience) in exhibiting the species and the trickle down effect down the line to the curators.
E) Overall population management left a bit to be desired as despite some attempts at fresh imports they basically where not very strong on the factor of species championship actually following through and getting the new stock in zoos in the region and overseas despite the obstacles, bureaucracy or veterinary guidelines and criteria. Where there is the Will there is the Way!

Improved husbandry, better outdoor exhibits and indoor facilities coupled with acquisition of new younger animals greatly improved breeding success to the point now that the species is slowly increasing in both numbers and in zoos maintaining them. Chester Zoo has been an inspiring force in this endeavour and the ASP initiated a few years ago has also signalled the importance and attractiveness of this suid species for zoos and both in situ conservation and ex situ conservation breeding. If done along the lines of the ASP a truly global One Plan approach will do much more than just either one of its components (conservation in the wild, education and PR or exhibiting and breeding ex situ in zoos).

The challenge now is to exchange animals overseas and between regions and allow the founder stock in Indonesia to effectively breed and ensure a far wider genetic basis for the captive population and the lingering challenge of restocking efforts once sufficient numbers of the North Sulawesi babirusa have been bred in zoos around the globe.

 

@Kifaru Bwana Would you know who are the current holders atm?

 

Be precise please: Current holders is a very broad one!

Also, I do think even at this moment we have not all the holders in our sights (particularly in range country RM Indonesia). I know of several locations in Sulawesi that kept babirusa that were not included in the 2016/17 list circulating. The Forestry Dept. is slowly making progress in tracking these down with ASP / One Plan / PKBSI/EAZA/AZA group.

 

Sure , Perhaps the current European, USA holders and any other possible holders that you care to mention!

 

Yes, that could be what happened indeed, and this was early on so you could be right about that.

Jersey stopped keeping the babirusa at some point in the late 90's / early 2000's ?

 

Thanks for the comment @TeaLovingDave

Pretty amazing that they are now a species on the rise again in Europeans collections as they are an amazing creature and really do need the ex-situ populations in zoos.

I think I'll have to read up about the husbandry method that Chester developed as it sounds like they certainly figured out how to reverse the decline of this animal in captivity and how to breed it on the regular.

 

Thank you for the comment @Kifaru Bwana !

There is a lot to tackle here so I'll take it apart and answer little by little.

I think point A. specifically relates to point D. and E. and I believe that this really does highlight why the organizational culture of zoos and long-term ex-situ commitment with a species is a truly important thing for zoos to practice (honestly I would rather a zoo kept 20 species but had a long-term commitment to all of these rather than 200 and an exciting but ever changing stock / species list).

Regarding the above point I am absolutely convinced that there has to be a cultural change in that department within the majority of zoos as that precise combination of factors that you describe has been a death sentence for the populations of many species held ex-situ and therefore ex-situ conservation programes.

Again points B. and C. are interrelated here and as I said to Dave in the comment above I'm truly glad to hear that things are improving and moving forward for the ex-situ management of this incredible and very unusual suid.

Regarding the above point, this is ultimately how we should be managing all threatened species ex-situ. Through improvements in scientific understanding that promote better husbandry practices and specifically the integration of what we know from in-situ research about the reproductive ecology of a species in the wild.

 

Just a point here that I thought I'd raise, it seems (this is from a laymans understanding as I don't know very much about suids at all, it isn't my area) that there are no such difficulties with breeding the Visayan warty pigs and other threatened warty pigs in captivity as there have been with the more sensitive babirusa.

If the points that @Kifaru Bwana raised about the historic problem of keeping the babirusa in captivity relating to disinterest from senior management and lack of decent population management could be avoided it could be a bright future for these suids in zoos.

* Also, I think of those two points the most worrying and consistently harmful one would come down to disinterest from senior management.

 

Suids are not my speciality either. But I presume Warty pigs live in 'sounders' like wild boar, the African bushpigs, peccaries etc. Does that make breeding easier in captivity perhaps as they seem prolific? How do Babirusa live in the wild? More solitary perhaps?

 

I'm not too sure @Pertinax but I've just had a scan read of something I'll share below.

This is quoted from the IUCN wild pig specialist group regarding what is currently known about the behavioural ecology of the Sulawesi babirusa in the wild :

"The information available from field and captive studies indicates B. celebensis is a social species. Groups of up to 13 have been observed in the rainforest, especially around water, communal wallowing areas and salt licks. Rarely aggregations as large as 46 individuals comprising several distinct groups have congregated at salt licks. Most (i.e. 84%) of all sightings of solitary animals were of adult males. Single adult males were seen with single adult females, but never with two or more females unless young animals were present. Adult females were rarely seen without company; they were sometimes found together with other adult animals, but most often they were with young babirusa. Groups containing adult females and young numbered 84 (of the 226 groups studied), of which two thirds (56 groups) had no adult males present.

Very little is known about the ranging behavior of B. celebensis. Field observations suggest that the adult males have home ranges that overlap with those of a number of other adult males. Density estimates in two protected areas where the species still occurred in 2003 varied from 4.3–11.8 and 0.7–4.1 animals/km2."

 

Again quoted from the IUCN wild pig specialist group regarding what is currently known about the behavioural ecology of the Visayan warty pig :

"Movements, Home range and Social organization: This species is sociable, mostly living in small groups (though up to a dozen individuals have been reported), but considering its much reduced densities larger groupings would likely form under more natural conditions. Animals in zoos are described as "playful and friendly", which may be further reference to their social nature. The composition of S. cebifrons groups is typically a single adult male with several females (usually three or four, as indicated by local hunters), plus young individuals of both sexes. Solitary males have also been reported, but are encountered only rarely. Conversely, captive boars are routinely left with peri-natal sows; the latter vigorously defending their farrowing nests from intruding boars (and caretakers), but generally allowing boars full access to infants within a few days of their first emergence from the nest".