DOCSLIB.ORG

The IUCN Wild Pig Challenge 2015

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The IUCN Wild Pig Challenge 2015 The IUCN Wild Pig Challenge 2015 M ATTHEW L INKIE,JASLINE N G ,ZHI Q I L IM,MUHAMMAD I. LUBIS M ARK R ADEMAKER and E RIK M EIJAARD Abstract Asian mammal species are facing unprecedented Sumatra it is often referred to as lumba lumba pressures from hunting and habitat conversion. Efforts to (Indonesian for dolphin) because local people believe that mitigate these threats often focus on charismatic large-bodied when sounders of up to foraging pigs disappear from species, while many other species or even guilds receive less a forest patch they turn into dolphins and swim to the sea. attention, particularly Asian wild pigs. To address this we de- Also, because of their importance to many communities, veloped a rapid questionnaire survey and administered it to wild pigs are considered to be cultural keystone species. relevant experts to identify the presence, population trends The IUCN/SSC Wild Pig Specialist Group seeks to raise and conservation needs of Asia’s threatened wild pig spe- the profile of wild pigs, draw attention to their plight and cies. The results highlighted geographical differences within support conservation interventions. Of the extant pig spe- species (e.g. the near collapse of bearded pig populations in cies in the Suidae family, occur in Asia and of these are Peninsular Malaysia yet their widespread presence on threatened with extinction (categorized as Vulnerable, Borneo), and knowledge gaps for many endemic species of Endangered or Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red the Philippines, notably the Critically Endangered Visayan List; IUCN, ), mainly as a result of hunting and loss of warty pig Sus cebifrons. To support field-based conservation forest habitat. The remaining two species, Sus celebensis and projects, we identified medium-to-large zoos in Asia, Sus scrofa, are categorized as Near Threatened and Least Europe and the USA that house Asian wild pigs and have ap- Concern, respectively. For most of these species there is a plicable conservation funding schemes. Our rapid survey lack of dedicated research and conservation management at- method, which yielded wild pig records from across tention, and therefore their status is poorly known. Yet they Asia, proved effective in filling many of the existing knowl- have a worldwide presence in zoos, which also have conser- edge gaps, and may be widely applicable in assessing the sta- vation funding schemes that could be used to support in situ tus and needs of other non-flagship threatened species. efforts if the conservation priorities were better understood. To start addressing this knowledge gap we developed the Keywords Habitat loss, hunting, Indonesia, Malaysia, Wild Pig Challenge , a series of succinct questions on Philippines, Suidae the status of Asian wild pigs, the threats they face, and con- servation opportunities (Ng et al., ). The questionnaire , sian wild pigs suffer from an image problem. Few con- was intentionally short (to be completed in minutes) Asider them to be as charismatic as orang-utans Pongo to elicit a greater response. We targeted members of the spp., elephants Elephas maximus and other Asian flagship Wild Pig Specialist Group and other relevant Specialist species. They have names such as warty pig (referring to Groups, such as Asian Wild Cattle, Asian Elephant and the noticeable lumps across the face) and bearded pig (refer- Galliformes, as well as academic researchers and ornitholo- ring to the bushy muzzle exhibited by males and females). gists, who often visit sites that overlap with pig species. Yet like the tiger Panthera tigris and snow leopard The first set of questions was sent via a group e-mail to . Panthera uncia they can be considered enigmatic. The experts, with a request for them to forward to other Sunda bearded pig Sus barbatus is unique in being relevant experts. This meant that we were unable to track South-east Asia’s only terrestrial migratory mammal spe- the exact number of people contacted. The questions fo- cies. It follows mast fruiting events in the forest and tra- cused on species status (presence/absence and population verses hundreds, sometimes thousands, of kilometres. In trend), and we received individual responses, of which nearly % were provided within the first days. Following a second group e-mail the total increased to individual species-level responses. These also included data † MATTHEW LINKIE* (Corresponding author), MARK RADEMAKER and from Warty Watch, an expert-based survey focused on re- ERIK MEIJAARD‡ IUCN/SSC Wild Pig Specialist Group. E-mail [email protected] cording presence of the Javan warty pig Sus verrucosus JASLINE NG and ZHI QI LIM National University of Singapore, Singapore (Rademaker, ). Excluding Sus scrofa (as a non- MUHAMMAD I. LUBIS Wildlife Conservation Society, Indonesia threatened wild pig species), we reported on the following *Also at: Wildlife Conservation Society, Indonesia countries and species: †Also at: Bawean Endemics Conservation Initiative, Indonesia ‡Also at: Borneo Futures, Brunei Darussalam . Received March . Revision requested May . India (n = country-level responses): pygmy hog Porcula Accepted May . First published online September . salvania ( species-level responses) Oryx, 2017, 51(3), 477–481 © 2016 Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605316000557 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.40.139, on 29 Sep 2021 at 08:35:22, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605316000557 478 M. Linkie et al. FIG. 1 Results from the Wild Pig Challenge , with presence or absence of South-east Asian wild pigs according to expert opinion, and IUCN species range data. Indonesia (): Sulawesi babirusa Babyrousa celebensis Peninsular Malaysia, which follows on from a previous (), Sulawesi warty pig Sus celebensis (), Sunda bearded study that documented this decline (Kawanishi et al., ). pig (), Bawean warty pig/Javan warty pig (), Togean A single respondent with long-term experience from the babirusa Babyrousa togeanensis () and hairy babirusa small Indonesian island of Bangka indicated that bearded Babyrousa babyrussa () pigs were no longer present on the island, which was probably . Malaysia (): Sunda bearded pig () only ever a peripheral part of the species’ range, but we did . Philippines (): Mindoro warty pig Sus oliveri (), Palawan record S. scrofa there. The species was reported to be wide- bearded pig Sus ahoenobarbus (), Philippines warty pig spread in Borneo, although more records are needed from Sus philippensis (), Visayan warty pig Sus cebifrons () Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), which was under- represented in our survey. Based on survey feedback we mapped the presence and ab- Javan warty pig (Endangered; of records indicated pres- sence of the South-east Asian wild pig species (Fig. ). Most ence) Species presence was reported from only one of eight ( %) respondents were unsure of species population trends sites in mainland Java. Java has one of the highest human − or perceived them to be decreasing ( %). The only response population densities (, people km ) in the world and for Visayan warty pig indicated an increasing trend, whereas many large-bodied mammal species have been extirpated only one of responses for bearded pigs indicated that po- (e.g. Javan tiger Panthera tigris sondaica) or are at risk of ex- pulations were increasing. The species-specific data yielded tinction (e.g. Javan leopard Panthera pardus melas and ban- the following results. teng Bos javanicus). That the Javan warty pig is reported to Sunda bearded pig (Vulnerable; records from respondents, occur in Tempuredjo is encouraging. The remoteness of of which % indicated presence) Species presence was re- Bawean island, c. km from mainland Java, affords a ported from only one (Endau Rompin) of six sites in level of protection to the resident warty pigs, which are the Oryx, 2017, 51(3), 477–481 © 2016 Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605316000557 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.40.139, on 29 Sep 2021 at 08:35:22, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605316000557 IUCN Wild Pig Challenge 2015 479 only known viable wild population, underlining the import- ance of forest and species protection on the island. Sulawesi babirusa (Vulnerable; of records indicated pres- ence) Reports largely confirm the little that is known about the species; it remains widespread on Sulawesi but is under high hunting pressure (Milner-Gulland & Clayton, ). Hairy babirusa (Vulnerable; of records indicated pres- ence) No records were found from the islands of Taliabu or Buru, although these reports are both from a single source (Eaton & Hutchinson, ). Surveys on both islands are now a priority for the Wild Pig Specialist Group. Togean island babirusa (Endangered; of record indicated FIG. 2 Conservation priorities for Asian wild pig species, presence) Although from a smaller island than the identified through an expert-based opinion survey (n = ). Moluccan (hairy) babirusa, reported species presence was confirmed. Recent unpublished population estimates indi- cate that several hundred Togean babirusas may remain According to the responses there are existing in situ and this may be among the largest populations of all three conservation actions (n = ) in Indonesia and India. babirusa species (Macdonald et al., ). Conservation research
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The IUCN Wild Pig Challenge 2015
    The IUCN Wild Pig Challenge 2015 M ATTHEW L INKIE,JASLINE N G ,ZHI Q I L IM,MUHAMMAD I. LUBIS M ARK R ADEMAKER and E RIK M EIJAARD Abstract Asian mammal species are facing unprecedented Sumatra it is often referred to as lumba lumba pressures from hunting and habitat conversion. Efforts to (Indonesian for dolphin) because local people believe that mitigate these threats often focus on charismatic large-bodied when sounders of up to foraging pigs disappear from species, while many other species or even guilds receive less a forest patch they turn into dolphins and swim to the sea. attention, particularly Asian wild pigs. To address this we de- Also, because of their importance to many communities, veloped a rapid questionnaire survey and administered it to wild pigs are considered to be cultural keystone species. relevant experts to identify the presence, population trends The IUCN/SSC Wild Pig Specialist Group seeks to raise and conservation needs of Asia’s threatened wild pig spe- the profile of wild pigs, draw attention to their plight and cies. The results highlighted geographical differences within support conservation interventions. Of the extant pig spe- species (e.g. the near collapse of bearded pig populations in cies in the Suidae family, occur in Asia and of these are Peninsular Malaysia yet their widespread presence on threatened with extinction (categorized as Vulnerable, Borneo), and knowledge gaps for many endemic species of Endangered or Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red the Philippines, notably the Critically Endangered Visayan List; IUCN, ), mainly as a result of hunting and loss of warty pig Sus cebifrons.
    [Show full text]
  • Nuisance Behaviors of Macaques in Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Palawan, Philippines
    PLATINUM The Journal of Threatened Taxa (JoTT) is dedicated to building evidence for conservaton globally by publishing peer-reviewed artcles online OPEN ACCESS every month at a reasonably rapid rate at www.threatenedtaxa.org. All artcles published in JoTT are registered under Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License unless otherwise mentoned. JoTT allows allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of artcles in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton. Journal of Threatened Taxa Building evidence for conservaton globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Communication Nuisance behaviors of macaques in Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Palawan, Philippines Lief Erikson Gamalo, Joselito Baril, Judeline Dimalibot, Augusto Asis, Brian Anas, Nevong Puna & Vachel Gay Paller 26 February 2019 | Vol. 11 | No. 3 | Pages: 13287–13294 DOI: 10.11609/jot.4702.11.3.13287-13294 For Focus, Scope, Aims, Policies, and Guidelines visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-0 For Artcle Submission Guidelines, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions For Policies against Scientfc Misconduct, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-2 For reprints, contact <[email protected]> The opinions expressed by the authors do not refect the views of the Journal of Threatened Taxa, Wildlife Informaton Liaison Development Society, Zoo Outreach Organizaton, or any of the partners. The journal, the publisher, the host, and the part- Publisher & Host ners are not responsible for the accuracy of the politcal boundaries shown in the maps by the authors.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rufford Foundation Final Report
    The Rufford Foundation Final Report Congratulations on the completion of your project that was supported by The Rufford Foundation. We ask all grant recipients to complete a Final Report Form that helps us to gauge the success of our grant giving. The Final Report must be sent in word format and not PDF format or any other format. We understand that projects often do not follow the predicted course but knowledge of your experiences is valuable to us and others who may be undertaking similar work. Please be as honest as you can in answering the questions – remember that negative experiences are just as valuable as positive ones if they help others to learn from them. Please complete the form in English and be as clear and concise as you can. Please note that the information may be edited for clarity. We will ask for further information if required. If you have any other materials produced by the project, particularly a few relevant photographs, please send these to us separately. Please submit your final report to [email protected]. Thank you for your help. Josh Cole, Grants Director Grant Recipient Details Your name Al John C. Cabañas Habitat Assessment, Occurrence and Distribution Project title of Philippine Warty-pig (Sus philippensis, Nehring 1886) in Mt. Banahaw de Tayabas RSG reference 24911-1 Reporting period May 2018-June 2019 Amount of grant £ 5000 Your email address [email protected] Date of this report June 27 2019 1. Please indicate the level of achievement of the project’s original objectives and include any relevant comments on factors affecting this.
    [Show full text]
  • Saving the World's Terrestrial Megafauna
    BioScience Advance Access published July 27, 2016 Viewpoint Saving the World’s Terrestrial Megafauna WILLIAM J. RIPPLE, GUILLAUME CHAPRON, JOSÉ VICENTE LÓPEZ-BAO, SARAH M. DURANT, DAVID W. MACDONALD, PETER A. LINDSEY, ELIZABETH L. BENNETT, ROBERT L. BESCHTA, JEREMY T. BRUSKOTTER, AHIMSA CAMPOS-ARCEIZ, RICHARD T. CORLETT, CHRIS T. DARIMONT, AMY J. DICKMAN, RODOLFO DIRZO, HOLLY T. DUBLIN, JAMES A. ESTES, KRISTOFFER T. EVERATT, MAURO GALETTI, VARUN R. GOSWAMI, MATT W. HAYWARD, SIMON HEDGES, MICHAEL HOFFMANN, LUKE T. B. HUNTER, GRAHAM I. H. KERLEY, MIKE LETNIC, TAAL LEVI, FIONA MAISELS, JOHN C. MORRISON, MICHAEL PAUL NELSON, THOMAS M. NEWSOME, LUKE PAINTER, ROBERT M. PRINGLE, CHRISTOPHER J. SANDOM, JOHN TERBORGH, ADRIAN TREVES, BLAIRE VAN VALKENBURGH, JOHN A. VUCETICH, AARON J. WIRSING, ARIAN D. WALLACH, CHRISTOPHER WOLF, ROSIE WOODROFFE, HILLARY YOUNG, AND LI ZHANG rom the late Pleistocene to the megafauna are imperiled (species in reduced resource availability. Although Downloaded from F Holocene and now the so-called tables S1 and S2) and to stimulate some species show resilience by adapt- Anthropocene, humans have been broad interest in developing specific ing to new scenarios under certain driving an ongoing series of species recommendations and concerted conditions (Chapron et al. 2014), declines and extinctions (Dirzo et al. action to conserve them. livestock production, human popula- 2014). Large-bodied mammals are Megafauna provide a range of dis- tion growth, and cumulative land-use http://bioscience.oxfordjournals.org/ typically at a higher risk of extinction tinct ecosystem services through top- impacts can trigger new conflicts or than smaller ones (Cardillo et al. 2005). down biotic and knock-on abiotic exacerbate existing ones, leading to However, in some circumstances, ter- processes (Estes et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Culion Municipality
    BASELINE REPORT ON COASTAL RESOURCES for Culion Municipality September 2006 Prepared for: PALAWAN COUNCIL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Palawan Center for Sustainable Development Sta. Monica Heights, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines 5300 Email: [email protected] Tel.: (63-48) 434-4235, Fax: 434-4234 Funded through a loan from : JAPAN BANK FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION Prepared by: PACIFIC CONSULTANTS INTERNATIONAL in association with ALMEC Corporation CERTEZA Information Systems, Inc. DARUMA Technologies Inc. Geo-Surveys & Mapping, Inc. Photo Credits: Photos by PCSDS and SEMP-NP ECAN Zoning Component Project Management Office This report can be reproduced as long as the convenors are properly acknowledged as the source of information Reproduction of this publication for sale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without the written consent of the publisher. Printed by: Futuristic Printing Press, Puerto Princesa City, Philippines Suggested Citation: PCSDS. 2006. Baseline Report on Coastal Resources for Culion, Municipality. Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables v List of Figures vii List of Plates x List of Appendices xi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY xii CHAPTER I: CORAL REEFS 1 1.0 Introduction 1 2.0 Materials and Methods 6 3.0 Survey Results 7 4.0 Discussions 10 5.0 Summary 12 6.0 Recommendations 12 CHAPTER II: REEF FISHES 13 7.0 Introduction 13 8.0 Materials and Methods 13 9.0 Results 14 10.0 Discussions 21 11.0 Conclusions and Recommendations 22 CHAPTER III: SEAGRASSES
    [Show full text]
  • ADDRESSING ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE in the PHILIPPINES PHILIPPINES Second-Largest Archipelago in the World Comprising 7,641 Islands
    ADDRESSING ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE IN THE PHILIPPINES PHILIPPINES Second-largest archipelago in the world comprising 7,641 islands Current population is 100 million, but projected to reach 125 million by 2030; most people, particularly the poor, depend on biodiversity 114 species of amphibians 240 Protected Areas 228 Key Biodiversity Areas 342 species of reptiles, 68% are endemic One of only 17 mega-diverse countries for harboring wildlife species found 4th most important nowhere else in the world country in bird endemism with 695 species More than 52,177 (195 endemic and described species, half 126 restricted range) of which are endemic 5th in the world in terms of total plant species, half of which are endemic Home to 5 of 7 known marine turtle species in the world green, hawksbill, olive ridley, loggerhead, and leatherback turtles ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE The value of Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) is estimated at $10 billion–$23 billion per year, making wildlife crime the fourth most lucrative illegal business after narcotics, human trafficking, and arms. The Philippines is a consumer, source, and transit point for IWT, threatening endemic species populations, economic development, and biodiversity. The country has been a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity since 1992. The value of IWT in the Philippines is estimated at ₱50 billion a year (roughly equivalent to $1billion), which includes the market value of wildlife and its resources, their ecological role and value, damage to habitats incurred during poaching, and loss in potential
    [Show full text]
  • PDRCP Technical Progress Report June 2017 to May 2018 Katala Foundation Inc
    Palawan Deer Research and Conservation Program Technical Progress Report June 2017 to May 2018 Peter Widmann, Joshuael Nuñez, Rene Antonio and Indira D. L. Widmann Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines, June 2018 PDRCP Technical Progress Report June 2017 to May 2018 Katala Foundation Inc. TECHNICAL PROGRESS REPORT PROJECT TITLE: Palawan Deer Research and Conservation Program REPORTING PERIOD: June 2017 to May 2018 PROJECT SITES: Palawan, Philippines PROJECT COOPERATORS: Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS) Concerned agencies and authorities BY: KATALA FOUNDATION, INC. PETER WIDMANN, Program Director INDIRA DAYANG LACERNA-WIDMANN, Program Co-Director ADDRESS: Katala Foundation, Inc. Purok El Rancho, Sta. Monica or P.O. Box 390 Puerto Princesa City 5300 Palawan, Philippines Tel/Fax: +63-48-434-7693 WEBSITE: www.philippinecockatoo.org EMAIL: [email protected] or [email protected] 2 Katala Foundation Inc. Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines PDRCP Technical Progress Report June 2017 to May 2018 Katala Foundation Inc. Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................................................... 4 ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................................................ 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Some Data on the Distribution, Conservation Status and Protection of Freshwater Turtles in the Palawan Island Group, Philippines
    SOME DATA ON THE DISTRIBUTION, CONSERVATION STATUS AND PROTECTION OF FRESHWATER TURTLES IN THE PALAWAN ISLAND GROUP, PHILIPPINES Pierre Fidenci1 and Reymar Castillo2 1Endangered Species International, 79 Brady Street, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA 2Research Coordinator, Biodiversity Center for Research and Conservation, Palawan State University, Puerto Princesa City, Philippines 5300; Project Manager, Philippine Forest Turtle Project, Endangered Species International – Palawan State University Introduction The Palawan Island Group is located between Mindoro Island and North Borneo, approximately 600km south-west of Manila, Philippines. Islands included in this group are Palawan (the largest island), Busuanga, Culion, Lampacan, Cuyo, Dumaran, Cagayancillo (also called Cagayanes) and Balabac. Palawan is the fifth largest island in the Philippine archipelago with an area of more than 11,000 square km. The biological importance of Palawan is widely recognized both nationally and internationally. It has even been designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO since 1990. The region includes several existing Proclaimed Conservation Areas such as Coron Islands (7,580 hectares), El Nido Marine Reserve (89,140 hectares), Malampaya Sound (90,000 hectares) and Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park. Palawan has also been declared a mangrove reserve. Palawan has about 422 terrestrial and known marine vertebrate species. This number accounts for about 39% of all the vertebrate species found in the Philippines. Many of the species are endemic to Palawan and have restricted ranges confined to a small area (PCSDS, 2005). The Philippine forest turtle (Siebenrockiella (= Panayenemys) leytensis) (Fig. 1) is one of the most endangered turtle species in the world and the most endangered turtle of the Philippines (Conservation International, 2003; IUCN, 2009).
    [Show full text]
  • 1St RSG Conference Philippines 2020
    Enhancing Biodiversity Conservation in the Philippines 6th and 7th February 2020 Hive Hotel Quezon City, Philippines Welcome Message .....................................................................................................................................................3 Opening Remarks .......................................................................................................................................................5 About The Rufford Foundation ..................................................................................................................................7 About LAMAVE ...........................................................................................................................................................8 Schedule of Activities .................................................................................................................................................9 Abstracts .................................................................................................................................................................. 16 Survival of a mammalian carnivore, the leopard cat, in an agricultural landscape on an oceanic Philippine island ................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Anurans as important predators in riparian communities of a watershed in the Caraga Region in the Eastern Mindanao Biodiversity Corridor .........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • ACE Appendix
    CBP and Trade Automated Interface Requirements Appendix: PGA August 13, 2021 Pub # 0875-0419 Contents Table of Changes .................................................................................................................................................... 4 PG01 – Agency Program Codes ........................................................................................................................... 18 PG01 – Government Agency Processing Codes ................................................................................................... 22 PG01 – Electronic Image Submitted Codes .......................................................................................................... 26 PG01 – Globally Unique Product Identification Code Qualifiers ........................................................................ 26 PG01 – Correction Indicators* ............................................................................................................................. 26 PG02 – Product Code Qualifiers ........................................................................................................................... 28 PG04 – Units of Measure ...................................................................................................................................... 30 PG05 – Scientific Species Code ........................................................................................................................... 31 PG05 – FWS Wildlife Description Codes ...........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • A Look at Wildlife Farming in PHL
    FeaturesBiodiversity A look at wildlife farming in PHL ByJONATHAN L. MAYUGA MARCH 21, 2021 Hunted in the wild, crocodiles and monkeys are now “thriving” in wildlife farms in the Philippines. The population of saltwater crocodiles like this from the province of Palawan and long-tailed macaques like this in the forests of Tawi-Tawi was on the decline prompting the introduction of wildlife farming of the species. Farming monkeys in the Philippines started in 1984, while farming crocodiles began in 1987. The Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES) recently published data for 2019 based on reports of countries in compliance with the international treaty. Based on the trade data, the Philippines reported the export of 1,053 captive-bred long-tailed macaques for biomedical research to the United States. The significant increase in the number of exported live monkeys from 140 in 2018 to 1,053 in 2019, a year before the global pandemic, did not escape the attention of animal rights group Action for Primates (AP). “Prior to 2018, the last recorded export of long-tailed macaques was in 2015 when the Philippines recorded 676, again to Japan,” Sarah Kite, the spokesman for Action for Primates told the BusinessMirror via e-mail on March 3. Appeal to authorities AP has been appealing to countries like the Philippines not to allow the capture of wild long-tailed macaques for captive breeding and eventually, export of their progenies. Kite said: “The large increase in the number of long-tailed macaques exported from the Philippines for research purposes during 2019 is alarming.
    [Show full text]
  • The Pigs Ofisland Southeast Asia and the Pacific: New Evidencefor
    The Pigs ofIsland Southeast Asia and the Pacific: New Evidence for Taxonomic Status and Human-Mediated Dispersal KEITH DOBNEY, THOMAS CUCCHI, AND GREGER LARSON THE PROCESSES through which the economic and cultural elements regarded as "Neolithic" spread throughout Eurasia remain among the least understood and most hotly debated topics in archaeology. Domesticated animals and plants are in­ tegral components of the chrono-cultural and paleoenvironmental data set linked to the earliest farming communities, and their remains are key to understanding the origins and spread of agriculture. Although the majority of research into ani­ mal domestication and Neolithic dispersal has focused upon western Eurasia, the Near East, and Europe, where both traditional and new techniques have signifi­ cantly advanced our ideas regarding the origins and spread of Neolithic farming westward, less emphasis has been placed upon its eastward spread from mainland East Asia to Island Southeast Asia (ISEA). The close relationship between people and pigs has been a long and varied one for millennia. Pigs have been of great economic and symbolic importance to the tribal societies of ISEA (Banks 1931; Hose and McDougall 1901; Medway 1973; Rosman and Rubel 1989) and, for that reason, wild pigs and their feral and domestic derivatives have been widely introduced as game and/or livestock throughout the region (Groves 1995; Oliver and Brisbin 1993). As a result of this human agency, a diversity of introduced domestic, feral, and possible wild suid forms has arisen. Continuing debate over the present day taxonomy of these island suids, and even bigger problems with the specific identification of their fossil remains, leave us very little idea as to which species are actually represented in the archaeological record, let alone their past wild, feral, or domestic status.
    [Show full text]