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| Common Name: | Negros Island warty pigs | Family: | Suidae |
| Latin Name: | Sus cebifrons negrinus | Diet: | Herbivore |
| Type: | Mammal | Habitat: | Tropical Rainforest |
| Native To: | Asia | Social Unit: | Group |
| IUCN Red List Status: | Critically Endangered |
Negros Island warty pigs at Edinburgh Zoo
Here at Edinburgh Zoo we have a breeding pair of Negros Island warty pigs (also known as Visayan warty pigs) that came to us from Poznan Zoo, Poland in March 2007. The male, Cooper, was born in May 2005 while Alice was born in June of the same year. These two are very special as they are the first captive-born warty pigs, and we hope that their offspring will play a major role in the reintroduction programmes.
Where it can be found at Edinburgh Zoo
Our warty pigs can be found just south of the Raven enclosure.
Negros Island Warty pigs in the wild
The Negros Island warty pig (Sus cebifrons negrinus) is a sub-species of the Visayan warty pig (Sus cebifrons). As their name suggests, Negros Island warty pigs are found on Negros Island of the Philippines’ Visayas Islands. Visayan warty pigs are native to all six Visayan islands, but can only now be found on the islands of Panay and Negros, having become extinct on the other four islands.
Negros Island warty pigs live in the forests and rainforests of Negros Island, and they have several pairs of warts on their face. They have a mixed diet of fruit, roots, tubers, vegetables and domestic crops.
Although some adult males are solitary, warty pigs usually live in small groups of between five to twelve individuals. Boars and sows are easily told apart, although they are the same greyish-black colour; males are larger and they have three sets of warts on their face.
The warts on the boar’s face are part of a defence mechanism, designed to protect them from sharp tusks when fighting occurs. Boars also grow thick, hairy manes which they can raise to increase their size and presence, not only when they feel threatened, but also when they are competing against each other for mating rights. The adult female gives birth to between one to three piglets.
Negros Island warty pigs are under serious threat. Due to their consumption of domestic crops, farmers see them as pests and they are actively hunted not only to protect the harvest but also for their meat. Hunters kill warty pigs by digging traps and setting snares.
Habitat destruction is also a major contributor to the warty pig’s declining numbers; increasing human populations are reducing the forest areas for agriculture land. As the soil is not very nutrient rich, new farmland has to be found every few years so more forests have to be cleared. Where there are humans there are domestic animals and warty hogs and domestic pigs will mate so interbreeding is another danger to the warty pig population.
Conservation programmes have been established on Negros and Panay in order to protect the existing wild populations with the hope of reintroducing them to islands where they have become extinct. In addition, zoos in the UK, Europe and the United States have established captive breeding programmes of Despite these programs, however, the future of Sus cebifrons and its sub-species is uncertain. This species is currently listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being Critically Endangered, meaning that it is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
Breeding programme category: EEP
IUCN Red List category: Critically Endangered
Adopt a Negros Island (Visayan) warty pig A great way to support RZSS – buy it for yourself or as a gift for the animal lover in your life!
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