Ecology, Conservation and Management of Wild Pigs and Peccaries

Chapter 26: Conservation of wild pigs and peccaries

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east Kalimantan, Indonesia. Average consumption estimates on
Borneo vary between 12 and 133.6 kg of pig meat per person per
year (Caldecott 1988; Puri 1997). Such is the importance of pig
meat in local diets in South East Asia that it is unsurprising to
find a positive and statistically significant correlation between
the proportion of meals that contain wild pig meat and the abun-
dance of pigs in the forest, and that similarly there is a signifi-
cant negative correlation between hunting pressure and animal
density (Bennett et  al. 2000). In Africa, species of importance
as a local protein source include red river hog (Potamochoerus
porcus) and bushpigs (P. larvatus), which are among the most
consumed animals in sub-Saharan Africa (Wilkie & Carpenter
1999; Leslie & Huffman 2015). In the Congo Basin an estimated
1.2 million metric tons of bushmeat are extracted per year and
red river hog is one of the main prey species in the Basin as well as
in Gabon, Cameroon, Republic of Congo and Equatorial Guinea
and Central African Republic (Noss 1998; Wilkie & Carpenter
1999; Leslie & Huffman 2015). Forest hogs are also heavily hunted
in eastern Africa and the eastern subspecies (H. meinertzhageni
meinertzhageni, the so-called true giant forest hog) is disappear-
ing from large areas of their historical distribution range due to
heavy hunting pressure (Chapter 11 this book). For example,
in Kibale National Park, forest guards destroyed 54 snare-traps
set up for duikers and giant forest hog in a 4-day patrolling trip
(R. Reyna-Hurtado, personal observation).
In several areas of the world people do not hunt pig for meat
because of religious reasons. As mentioned above, the Bawean
pig is threatened with extinction because of a natural small pop-
ulation size, but hunting does not play a major role as a threat.
The Mursi Tribe from Ethiopia would rather use warthogs for
cultural purposes, and use their tusks to elaborate headpieces.
The warthog headpiece worn by a man shows bravery and
women wear it to enhance their beauty (K. A. Norvig, personal
communication; Figure 26.6). In other Muslim countries like
Iran, Eurasian wild boar densities can become very high when
animals are rarely hunted because of religious prohibition on
consuming pork or even handling unclean animals (Solaymani-
Mohammadi et  al. 2005). It remains unclear to what extent
such religious taboos could provide a certain level of protection
for endangered pig species. Anecdotal information, however,
suggests that for the species under the greatest conservation

threat, such religion-based protection appears to be limited.

The Endangered Javan warty pig (S. verrucosus), for example,

which is endemic to the predominantly Muslim island of Java,

is still heavily hunted for pest control, to obtain pigs for pig–dog

fights, and by recreational hunters (Semiadi & Meijaard 2006).

The species occurs sympatrically with S. scrofa but hunters hunt

both species and rarely distinguish between the two. Possibly

because of S. scrofa’s higher reproductive rate, the respective

selective pressures on the two species is driving S. verrucosus

populations down more rapidly; in many former populations

of S. verrucosus, this species has now been displaced by S. scrofa

(SáAez-Royuela & TellerÍIa 1986).

Despite heavy hunting pressure, S. scrofa is a resistant species

that seems to recover fast and is difficult to eradicate (in areas

where it has been introduced). It is probably the only species of

suid and tayassuid that is increasing in large parts of its range.

In Europe, for example, the species has been recovering since

the 1970s after decades of severe decline (Meijaard et al. 2011).

Reasons for this are manifold. The wild boar is one of the most

important species for sport and subsistence hunters in Europe

and Asian regions (Meijaard et  al. 2011). Changing agricul-

tural practices, changing societal attitudes to hunting, increas-

ing availability of forest patches in the landscape, and a range

of other factors are contributing to the species increasing to the

extent that they are now commonly seen in the suburbs of Berlin,

Barcelona, Hong Kong, and other cities. Of course, the biology

of S. scrofa is not the same as the biology of other pigs or peccary

species, but there are some important lessons to be learned from

this relative success story of recovering populations.

Societal attitudes to living close to peccaries and pigs play a

major role in species recovery, as does government support for

compensating damage to crops, development of ecological net-

works that allow animals to move between habitat patches and

maintain meta-population structures, as well as the protection

and maintenance of other wildlife dependent on these species.

Habitat Loss and Quality

In the previous two sections we have discussed the size of spe-

cies ranges and hunting as important factors, and determined

that extinction in relation to species’ ranges and high mortality

Figure 26.5 Over 80 white-lipped

peccaries crossing the Rio Negro

of the southern Pantanal (photo by

Vanda L. Ferreira). (A black and white

version of this figure will appear in some

formats. For the colour version, please

refer to the plate section.)

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