Visayan warty pig

Sus cebifrons

warty pig
IUCN Conservation Status –
Least Concern
Extinct In The Wild
Class: Mammals
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Suidae

Here at Newquay Zoo we are home to six Visayan warty pigs. We have grandmother Dilang, breeding pair May and Randy, and their three piglets. Kevin Bacon and Amy Swinehouse were born in 2022, and youngest piglet ,Ernie, was born in 2023. Head towards the Secret Garden to find our warty pig enclosure.

Found in the past throughout the Visayan Islands, these pigs are now extinct in at least 98% of their former range. The few surviving populations are concentrated in remaining forest areas on the Negros and Panay islands of Negros in the Philippines.

The warty pigs eat fruits, roots and tubers but they have developed a taste for cereal crops and cultivated vegetables.

Interesting facts!

  • During mating season, the spiky head tuft of Visayan warty pig males grows into a mane as long as 9 inches. When threatened, they raise their manes to seem larger and more intimidating.
  • They get their name ‘warty pigs’ because of the three pairs of warts on the face of male pigs, which help to protect their faces when fighting.
  • Warty piglets are covered with brown, tan and black stripes which provides them with camouflage during their vulnerable stage. They will reach adult coloration at the age of one year.

Conservation

The Visayan Warty Pig Conservation Programme was established in 1991 with the aim of re-introducing the species on the islands in the Philippines where it has been lost. Captive breeding and rescue centres have been established on Negros, with zoos worldwide, including Newquay Zoo, contributing to the captive population.

Habitat destruction, over hunting for sport, reprisals for raids on crops and inadequate protection have resulted in the dramatic decline and likely extinction of the warty pig in the wild. There are now as few as 200 left in the wild.