Part III: Conservation and Management428
strategy (Rademaker et al. 2016). Cikananga also benefitted
from interactive discussions with experienced wild pig man-
agers in EAZA and AZA zoos, the Pygmy Hog Conservation
Programme and the Philippine Visayan warty pig programme,
resulting in improved success (Bulk 2014; Meijaard et al. 2014).
Nevertheless, the population in Cikananga relatively quickly
outgrew capacity, which was combined with an increasing
worry that all pigs were in one location. Following an analysis
of the situation during a meeting of the IUCN SSC WPSG at
Cikananga in November 2013, the decision was made to investi-
gate other ex-situ facilities on Java that might be able to take the
species and to start investigating potential release sites (Meijaard
2014; Meijaard et al. 2014). In 2014, two males born in 2012
and two males and two females born in 2014 were transferred
from Cikananga to Taman Safari Indonesia I (Cisarua, Bogor),
where new facilities were purpose-built. The current population
counts 33 individuals in Cikananga (ZIMS, Species360) and six
individuals at Taman Safari Indonesia I (Table 37.1). In addition,
Copenhagen Zoo has obtained funding from Fondation Segré
for the project ‘Rehabilitation of the Javan warty pig in Baluran
National Park’ as part of a larger collaboration between the zoo
and the Indonesian government in support of the park, focusing
on wildlife research and management, invasive species eradica-
tion and fire management (B. Holst, personal communication).Sulawesi Babirusa (Babyrousa celebensis)
Pending ongoing investigation of their taxonomy, the IUCN
SSC WPSG currently recognizes three species of babirusa in
Indonesia: the Sulawesi babirusa (Babyrousa celebensis) from
Sulawesi, Muna, Buton and Lembeh (listed as Vulnerable; Leus
et al. 2016), the hairy babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa) from
Buru and the Sula islands (listed as Vulnerable; Macdonald et al.
2008a), and the Togian Islands babirusa (Babyrousa togeanensis)
from the Togian islands (listed as Endangered; Macdonald et al.
2016). Only the Sulawesi babirusa is currently present in captivity.
The Sulawesi babirusa (Figure 37.3) is experiencing signif-
icant declines in large part driven by severe hunting pressure
(Milner-Gulland & Clayton 2002; Lee et al. 2005) in at least
north, central, and southeast Sulawesi to supply the demand for
wild pig meat for markets in the predominantly Christian north-
east (Meijaard et al. 2011; Leus et al. 2016). The babirusa are not
targeted specifically, but snare traps do not distinguish between
babirusa or Sulawesi warty pigs (Sus celebensis). Both meats are
sold as ‘babi hutan’ or forest/wild pig. Elsewhere on the island
there has been, and is ongoing, habitat loss, fragmentation and
degradation, and the species is likely to have disappeared from
Muna, Buton, and possibly Lembeh (Leus et al. 2016).
Babyrousa sp. is one of the 25 threatened national priority
taxa identified by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and
Forestry (Keputusan Direktur Jenderal, Konservasi Sumber
Daya Alam dan Ekosistem, Nomor: SK.180 /IV-KKH/2015),
requiring a national action to be produced. The IUCN SSC WPSG
joined forces with the IUCN SSC Asian Wild Cattle Specialist
Group (AWCSG) for the production of National Action Plans
for banteng (Bos javanicus), anoa (Bubalus sp.), and babirusa
(Babyrousa sp.) (Direktorat Konservasi Keanekaragaman Hayati
2015; Leus et al. 2016a). Subsequently, at the end of 2014 sixpartner organizations (PKBSI, EAZA, AZA, IUCN SSC, IUCN
SSC AWCSG, and IUCN SSC WPSG) signed a Memorandum
of Understanding to collaborate globally to develop in more
detail the ex-situ portions of the National Action Plans for the
three taxa, focusing on how best the ex-situ populations and the
ex-situ communities can contribute to their conservation (Leus
et al. 2016a). The agreement was witnessed by the Indonesian
Ministry of Environment and Forestry. The partners in the ini-
tiative felt that GSMPs as administered by WAZA would pro-
vide a suitable framework within which to plan and implement
the work ahead and decided to develop a GSMP for each taxon
(www.waza.org/en/site/conservation/conservation-breeding-
programmes/gsmp). WAZA officially approved the GSMPs on
16 March 2016. Considering the continuing severe threat from
hunting and habitat loss and degradation, the GSMP partners
agreed that the global ex-situ population of Sulawesi babirusa
should ideally fulfil the role of a long-term insurance popula-
tion. To achieve this, the world zoo population will over time
need to grow to about 400 individuals, gradually add additional
founders (by opportunistically making use of individuals con-
fiscated by law enforcement or present in centres on Sulawesi),
have scientifically managed regional subpopulations, and
have global collaboration and interregional animal exchanges
(Leus et al. 2016a). The babirusa GSMP members also identi-
fied opportunities to use expertise from zoo education depart-
ments to assist local conservation authorities and protected area
management for the development of education and awareness
programmes and materials, and are in the process of identifying
and selecting high-priority in-situ projects for any of the three
babirusa species that can benefit from relatively modest fund-
ing from international zoos (for example, surveying the con-
servation status of the hairy babirusa has already been selected
as a short-term project to be supported). A detailed two-year
action plan was developed to deliver all of the above aims
(Leus et al. 2016 a).
On 16 December 2015 the world population of babirusa
counted 190 individuals (or slightly less than half the global
target size) distributed over 34 institutions in three differ-
ent regional/national zoo associations and Wildlife Reserves
Singapore (Table 37.2). Molecular genetic analysis shows that up
until 1998, the world zoo population was derived from a mini-
mum of five founders (P. Galbusera, personal communication;
but the exact number is uncertain – early pedigree records are
lacking) that entered Surabaya Zoo at unknown times pre-1974.
From Surabaya Zoo, animals were transferred to other zoos
in Indonesia and around the world. In 1998, seven additional
wild-origin babirusa arrived in Surabaya Zoo. Six of these have
living descendants, but only in the Indonesian zoo population
(T. Kauffels, unpublished international studbook data). The
GSMP team created breeding and transfer recommendations for
the PKBSI population to optimize retention of the gene diversity
of the six extra founders as well as the general demographic health
of the population. The initial focus of the GSMP is to establish an
effective Indonesian ex-situ breeding programme, which will be
able to make effective use of new founders if they should become
available. Thereafter, possibly after two years, an analysis will
be conducted with regard to the feasibility of a small number of.03913:02:26