Foraging behaviour, food selection and diet digestion of Babyrousa babyrussa (Suidae, Mammalia)

A population of 79 babirusa distributed over 19 zoos in Europe and the United States were the subject of a study of the foraging behaviour, food selection, and digestion of the babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa). Stomachs of six adult babirusa and one twelve month old animal were collected from zoological gardens. Gross anatomical and microscopic examination revealed the large size of the stomach (approximately 3000cm2 for adults) and the very large area covered by its cardiac glands (more than 70% of the total stomach's mucosal surface area compared to about 33% in the domestic pig (Sus scrofa)). Mucus was produced in the cardiac glands and micro-organisms were found both in the mucus-gel adhering to the stomach surface and within the stomach lumen. The pH in the lumen of the cardiac gland area of the stomach was between 5.3 and 6.4 which is suitable for the survival of microorganisms. Gastric glands were confined to a small region occupying the distal end of the corpus ventriculi which was named the "gastric unit". A comparative study of the digestibility of the dry matter, organic matter and fibre in a basal barley-soya diet supplemented with different amounts of dried grass was carried out with eight babirusa, eight Large White x Landrace and eight Chinese Meishan pigs using the chromic oxide indicator ratio technique. The digestibility of the Acid Detergent Fibre (= cellulose + lignin) component of grass was less in the babirusa than in the domestic pigs. However, babirusa were able to digest Neutral Detergent Fibre (= hemicellulose + cellulose + lignin) and Organic Matter from the total diet better than the domestic pigs. The foraging and other behaviour of a male and female babirusa when given access to a semi-natural enclosure was recorded using one-minute time scans for six hours per day during five consecutive days. Foraging mainly took the form of walking around with the nose close to or on the ground surface while sniffing. Rooting only took place in that part of the enclosure with very loose sand and was never observed in regions with more compact soil. The two most important food items consumed by the babirusa (in addition to the food that was offered to them by the zoo staff)were bramble leaves and cherry fruits. The animals also demonstrated their ability to carefully select certain plant parts when eating herbs and grasses. The results of these three studies suggested that the babirusa was a nonruminant foregut fermenting frugivore/concentrate selector, specialised in the fermentation of plant solubles and more easily digestible fibres and was able to select those plants and plant parts which are more easily digestible. Information on the diet being fed to babirusa in the 19 zoos indicated that fruits were the items most favoured in captivity. The animals also readily consumed a wide variety of leaves, buds and twigs from branches. The range between zoos in the amounts of total food, dry matter, crude protein, fat, fibre and digestible energy being fed was extremely large. Using prediction equations for domestic pig breeds the energy requirements for the babirusa were estimated to be 11.3 MJ/day for males and 8.5 MJ/day for females and the protein requirements were estimated to be 88g CP/day for males and 59g CP/day for females. These results together with other information gathered from the literature support the view that the main items in the diet of wild babirusa are likely to be fruits and leaves supplemented with smaller amounts of herbs, grass, roots and animal matter

The Arabian Leopard (Panthera pardus nimr) conservation breeding program.

Abstract. Captive breeding has the potential to play a pivotal role in conserving threatened species, among others by providing a healthy "safety net" population with which to buffer dwindling numbers in the wild. The Arabian Leopard Panthera pardus nimr is Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Captive breeding is an essential component of conservation for this species. Many experts are of the opinion that the chances for survival of the Arabian Leopard in the wild are much reduced without the potential for reintroduction of animals. The captive breeding programme has been operating on a regional level since 1999, although the first Arabian Leopards registered in the studbook were caught in 1985. The current living population consists of 42 males, 32 females, and three unsexed leopards; nineteen are wild caught (of which 3 are siblings) and a substantial number of these do not actively participate in the breeding programme. The program focuses on ensuring a genetically sound population that closely resembles the wild population. Current and predicted trends within the population are compared with recommended trends and graphically illustrated using dedicated population management software, PM2000

Creating a public understanding of the biology of the Babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa) within a caring zoo environment.

Studies of the anatomy, behaviour, physiology, and veterinary medicine of the babirusa have contributed to our understanding of the biology of the animal. The first part of this paper seeks to illustrate by means of examples how studies of the babirusa are currently being carried out. The second part addresses the topic of reporting the results of research studies. The information generated by research can often be translated into ideas and suggestions for the improvement of zoo practice with respect to enclosure design, nutrition, reproduction and veterinary care. However, it is more important that the next step is also addressed, namely the knowledgeable and interesting display of information to the general public

Analyses of diets fed to Babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa) in captivity with respect to their nutritional requirements.

Although very little is known about the diet of Babirusa in the wild, they have been successfully kept in captivity in zoos around the world for 200 years. Studies have shown that the anatomy of their digestive tract is quite different from that of the domestic pig and as a consequence their food digestion is also likely to be different. As part of a wider study of the digestion of the Babirusa, the diet fed to animals in 25 zoos worldwide (16 Europe, 7 USA, 2 Indonesia) were analysed for their nutritional content. The results of these analyses will be presented and discussed in the light of the findings of other recent experiments on the food selection, diet digestion and foraging behaviour of Babirusa

Group Structure and Behaviour of Babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa) in Northern Sulawesi

Studies were carried out at two ‘salt-licks’ in lowland tropical forest on North Sulawesi, Indonesia. During 60 days of observation 586 sightings of babirusa were made comprising 161 of adult males, 155 of adult females, 11 adults of unknown sex, 78 of subadult males, 53 of subadult females and 34 subadults of indeterminate sex; juveniles were observed 94 times, 19 males, 12 females and 63 of unknown sex. We saw 226 groups ranging in size from one to eight animals (median = 2). Almost half the sightings were of solitary animals, usually adult males. Bachelor groups of four or more babirusa were never seen. Adult females were rarely seen without company, often both juveniles and subadults being sighted together with them. There were never more than three adult females in a group. There were about twice as many family groups without adult males as there were with males. Agonistic behaviour between males was confined to ‘threat at a distance’, ‘nose in the air’, ‘head under jaw submission’ and ‘front half supported’ behaviours. There were fewer incidents of female-female agonistic behaviour, but in two, the dominant female chased her inferior off the ‘salt-lick’

First observations on Moluccan Babirusa (Babyrousa babirussa). A translation from a recently rediscovered 1770 book that describes the Babirusa on Buru Island

Surprisingly little is known about the Moluccan Babirusa Babyrousa babirussa despite the fact that this animal was first described by Europeans in 1582 (Macdonald et al., 2016). Most of the research on the biology of the animals of the genus Babyrousa has been conducted on animals from, or descended from those on, the island of Sulawesi, where Babyrousa celebensis occurs (Macdonald, 2017). A recently rediscovered book (Anonymous, 1770), published by Jan Monterre in 1770 and republished in Afrikaans as Anonymous 2011, contains information about this poorly known Babirusa; the chapter on the ‘BabiRoesa, VarkensHert’ was compiled by an unknown author, and as acknowledged, is largely derived from the book by Valentijn (1726). The latter has been said to contain the observations collected by Georg Everhard Rumphius for his unpublished books ‘concerning Land, Airand Sea animals of these islands’ (Beekman, 1999). The general quality and accuracy of the observations in the manuscript indicate that the original author was wellinformed, and this gives a sense of reliability to this historical information. Importantly, this 246 year old book chapter provides us with a glimpse of a past when apparently the Moluccan Babirusa was still very common

Food preparation behaviour of babirusa (Babyrousa celebensis)

Food preparation behaviour of sand-contaminated food articles by two zoo-based Sulawesi babirusa (Babyrousa celebensis) was observed and recorded as video imaging data at Bali Zoo, Indonesia during an observation period of six days in July 2012. In earlier preliminary studies of four animals, comprising two mother-infant pairs, three animals held pieces of cut sweet potatoes in the mouth, carried them to a neighbouring water trough, dropped or dipped them in the water, and then began eating. This behaviour was repeated at almost every feeding time. To characterise and elucidate this food preparation behaviour further, and within the management constraints of a zoo environment, experiments with various test feeds were designed; the dipping of food articles into water was video-recorded on 37 occasions. This behaviour by the babirusa was related to (1) deliberate sandcontamination of the surface of the food; (2) deliberate provision of large-sized pieces of food, and (3) the supply of large amounts of food at one time. The distance of the water source from the food seemed to play a role in the expression of the ‘food washing’ behaviour, with short (1.5 m) distances preferred over longer (6 m) distances. The frequency of this type of babirusa food preparation behaviour was higher during the second half of a feeding period