RECENTLY, photos have emerged of bearded pigs at the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Lahad Datu, following a sharp drop in sightings due to the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak in the state. Are the photos showing the truth?
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TRUE
Conservationists with the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Lahad Datu have spotted healthy bearded pigs, more commonly known as wild boar, since early this year following a widespread die-off from the December 2020 ASF outbreak.
Bring Back our Rare Animals (Bora) project manager Dr Zainal Zahari Zainuddin said camera traps captured healthy bearded pigs (Sus barbatus) in the Tabin area.
The latest was spotted on July 17, he said, adding that it brought a sigh of relief after some thought that wild boars might have been wiped out by ASF, which had also crippled Sabah's pig farming industry.
"During our camera trap surveys in January, we started to see a small number (one to six) of bearded pigs at salt licks and riparian areas. The most recent (in July) consisted of at least a dozen of them, with three males. All were in superb condition and sniffing the fresh air," he said.
"The wild pigs made a good comeback, despite claims they would become extinct due to ASF," Dr Zainal said.
He said the deaths affected only the old and adults.
"No young pigs were seen clinically affected or dead from ASF. We don't know if the living Sus barbatus are carriers of ASF," he said, adding that they were still studying the impact and hoped to be able to tackle future outbreaks.
