The Visayan Pig

The Visayan Warty Pig is a Suidae species (pigs family) endemic to a few islands in the Philippines where it is in critical danger of extinction: only a few hundred remain in the wild but reproduction programmes have been implemented successfully in captivity. The fur of this boar is grey-black with a white stripe on the snout. The male also has a tuft of stiff hairs on his head. It can weigh up to 40 kg and measures 50 cm at shoulder height.

The animal lives in small groups in tropical forests and high plains: it is an omnivorous animal that feeds mainly at night, above all on roots and tubers, seeds and fruit but also on worms and insects.

The group consists of sows with their piglets and adult males, older males are solitary and live on the outskirts of the group. After a pregnancy of about 4 months, the sow gives birth to a litter of 3 to 4 piglets with a striped juvenile coat, which provides better camouflage.