Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan - IUCN

pigs have only 36 chromosomes, unlike other SUS (including
Sus barbatus) which have 38 chromosomes.
The natural geographic distribution of S. scrofa is more
extensive than that of any other large mammal, extending
from Iberia to the Japanese islands and Java. It is the only
mammal to have been brought into domestication more
than once at independent sites, probably in the Middle
East, Southeast Asia, and the Far East. Transported by
man, it is now virtually cosmopolitan, occurring on all
continents except Antarctica and on many oceanic islands.
Wild or domesticated populations are sympatric with
bearded pigs and Javan warty pigs, and do not spontaneously
interbreed under normal circumstances although
individuals will cross in captivity. The range of the
Sulawesi warty pig has also been artificially extended to
the Moluccas, perhaps in domestication. The authors follow
Colin Groves3, in supposing that domestic and feral
pigs of New Guinea (Sus “papuensis”), islands of the
Lesser Sundas and Moluccas, and even those of Simeulue.
and Nias, off northwest Sumatra, arose by hybridization of
Sus celebensis with (domestic) S. scrofa.
While it may seem paradoxical for an Action Plan for
the conservation of species to be so concerned with taxonomy,
the problems of establishing affinity at the species
level between allopatric populations, in particular, will be
familiar to zoologists. Others I9 including politicians and
decision makers, should not be deterred. In any one country
or region, there will rarely be difficulty in recognizing
the local species of Suiformes or in establishing their
defining characters. For large, wide ranging mammals
such as these, I do however believe that conservation
objectives need to be targeted at a level that includes a
reasonable representation of infra-specific variation.
The wherewithal to do this is amply provided by the
text of this Action Plan. For each species, there is a summary
of conservation status, covering distribution, habitats
and behavior, and threats to survival, followed by an
account of existing conservation measures and proposals
for action. For each of the four family and geographical
groupings, there is also an overall presentation of general
issues including, in all cases, a review of priorities for conservation
action and future research.
For few is the picture reassuring. These instances are
fairly representative: “vigorously hunted wherever they
occur, even in national parks and reserve areas” (Chacoan
peccary); “decreasing in 18 of the 34 countries considered”
(common hippopotamus); “substantially reduced by
uncontrolled hunting when the infamous rinderpest epizootic
that began in the Horn of Africa in 1889 and
reached the Cape in 1896. Consequent mortality... was
catastrophic” (warthogs);“reputed to cause more damage
to agriculture, particularly to maize crops, than any other
species” (bushpig);“recent and continuing decline in dis-
tribution and numbers... directly attributable to the loss and
degradation of habitat to human settlements, agricultural
encroachment, commercial forestry and flood control
schemes” (pygmy hog); “precise data (are) lacking on their
range there and any future work....is likely to be compromised
by the presence of armed rebels” (bearded pig);
“also threatened by genetic contamination through contact
with free-ranging domesticates” (Ryukyu pigs).
In each case, the proposed conservation measures have
been carefully drafted with specific targets. Nonetheless,
they too tend to be broadly similar in vein. The need for
further surveys is frequently given first priority, associated
with field studies on biology and ecology; reserves are
needed; protection from overhunting must be enforced;
captive breeding is often to be encouraged.
As these pages point out, in the history of mankind
Suiformes have been, and remain important to many people
in many parts of the world. The authors remind us of
archaeological evidence that wild pigs or peccaries contributed
significantly to the diets of our earliest progenitors,
in the Old World or the New, respectively. Both
groups, moreover, still provide important quarry for subsistence,
commercial or sport hunting in all parts of this
range and beyond. On the other side of the coin, in many
places Suiformes are also serious pests of crops on which
rural economies depend.. They are also susceptible to
some of the gravest contagious infections affecting domestic
livestock, and potentially dangerous as wild reservoirs
of the disease-causing organisms.
Note is taken of the fact that there are important populations
of wild suiformes, including true pigs (Suidae), in
countries where Islam is the prevailing belief. The word
“taboo”, used in this connection in several places in the
text, may not be wholly adequate to express the meaning
of the term “haram”, which conveys fuller implications of
the whole involvement of religious practice and custom.
Sections of the Action Plan show that interpretation does
vary from one country to another, in accordance with local
customs and circumstances. It may be helpful, in the
implementation phase, to emphasize that the pigs about
which SSC is concerned are not domestic stock, with
which any sincere Muslim would adjure involvement, but
wild animals, elements of natural ecosystems for the maintenance
of which they have an important contributory role.
Not for nothing have wild pigs been called the “gardeners
of the forest”! The Indonesian authorities have pointed the
way by a positive attitude towards the babirusa,.recognizing
it as a species of particular patrimonial interest and
especially worthy of protection. It is to be hoped that this
respect for one of the rarest members of Suiformes will
be translated into firm protection from unsustainable hunting
for meat or for trophies, for the home market or for
the tourist trade.
.