# Bornean Bearded Pig — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Sus barbatus (Müller, 1838) — family Suidae*

> The Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus) is a Vulnerable wild pig of Borneo known for mass migrations; populations collapsed after African swine fever spread from around 2020, on top of oil palm, pulpwood and mining-driven forest loss.

**IUCN status:** Vulnerable — mass migrations collapsed after African swine fever since 2020  ·  **WARN range:** Borneo, Sumatra, Malay Peninsula and smaller islands

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Weight | Up to ~100 kg or more in large boars |
| Feature | Pale whiskers — 'beard' |
| Migrations | Historic mass movements — largely ceased after ASF |
| Disease | African swine fever from ~2020 |
| IUCN status | Vulnerable |
| Main threats | ASF; oil palm, pulpwood, mining; hunting |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Artiodactyla
- **Family:** Suidae
- **Genus:** Sus
- **Species:** Sus barbatus

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Vulnerable
- **Population:** Declining; migrations greatly reduced post-ASF
- **Trend:** Decreasing
- **Assessed:** 2018
- **CITES:** Not listed
- ASF mortality from 2020 onward added epidemic collapse to ongoing forest conversion and hunting pressure.

## Key facts: Bornean Bearded Pig
- Bornean bearded pigs were known for mass migrations of hundreds or thousands across Borneo, linked to fruiting and seasonality.
- African swine fever, spreading from around 2020, caused catastrophic mortality and largely ended migration behaviour in affected areas.
- They are forest pigs — fruit, seeds and roots — not pasture animals; oil palm and pulpwood plantations do not replace habitat.
- Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List before ASF intensified decline; hunting and snaring added pressure.
- Disease spread follows trade and transport routes in Southeast Asia — wildlife and domestic pig networks connect.
- Forest conversion for mining and plantations fragments the large landscapes migrations required even before disease.

## Mass migrations and why they mattered
Bearded pig migrations were among Borneo's great wildlife spectacles — large herds crossing rivers and ridges on schedules linked to mast fruiting and dry weather. Migrations moved genes, disturbed soil, spread seeds and supplied prey for clouded leopards and pythons.

When migrations ceased locally, the ecological role ceased with them. A sedentary remnant population in a forest fragment does not replace kilometre-scale movement. ASF did not invent the problem — forest loss and hunting had narrowed herds — but it broke the behaviour suddenly and at scale.

## African swine fever from 2020
African swine fever is a viral disease of pigs, often fatal, spreading through contact and contaminated material. It reached Borneo around 2020 via routes still being traced — likely connected to pork trade and transport. Bearded pigs died in large numbers; field reports described rivers of carcasses along former migration paths.

ASF does not respect protected-area boundaries. It adds epidemic mortality to an ungulate already losing forest to oil palm and pulpwood. Recovery, if it comes, requires both disease absence and forest large enough to support herds — neither guaranteed.

## Oil palm, pulpwood, mining and hunting
Sundaland's conversion economy removes the forest bearded pigs forage — dipterocarp fruit, seeds, roots — and replaces it with monoculture. Mining opens access for hunters; snares kill pigs as bycatch. Wildlife trade in Southeast Asia includes bushmeat demand in cities reachable by new roads.

Bearded pigs are Vulnerable because the combination predates ASF: less forest, more access, fewer herds. Plantation-dominated provinces may retain pigs at edges; they no longer support migrations that defined the species' ecology in Borneo literature.

## Wild pigs among hoofed mammals
Bearded pigs belong with Sundaland's ungulates — banteng, deer, chevrotains — as large herbivores and omnivores shaped by forest extent. WARN groups hoofed mammals for identification; pigs are the disturbers, turning soil and eating fallen fruit, linking tree reproduction to mammal movement.

Losing bearded pigs is not losing a crop pest — it is losing a migratory engineer. ASF made the loss visible fast; oil palm and pulpwood made the loss inevitable slow.

## What WARN does
WARN publishes free, sourced species education when disease and land use collide. Bornean bearded pig migrations ended in many areas after African swine fever — atop decades of oil palm, pulpwood and mining conversion that had already shrunk the forest those herds needed.

If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.

## Frequently asked questions: Bornean Bearded Pig
### What happened to Bornean bearded pig migrations?
Mass migrations largely ceased in many areas after African swine fever spread through Borneo from around 2020, killing large numbers. Forest loss and hunting had already reduced herds.

### What is African swine fever?
A highly contagious viral disease fatal to pigs, wild and domestic. It reached Borneo around 2020 and caused catastrophic bearded pig mortality.

### Are Bornean bearded pigs endangered?
Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with decline intensified by ASF, hunting and forest conversion for oil palm, pulpwood and mining.

### Why are they called bearded pigs?
Pale whiskers and warty facial features give a bearded appearance — distinctive among wild pigs.

### Where do they live?
Borneo primarily, plus Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and smaller islands — lowland and hill forest.

### Do plantations support bearded pigs?
No. They need forest fruit and cover; oil palm monoculture does not replace foraging habitat or migration corridors.

### What do bornean bearded pigs eat?
Bornean Bearded Pigs eat Beard — Pale whiskers and warty snout — namesake feature. The Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus) is a Vulnerable wild pig of Borneo known for mass migrations; populations collapsed after African swine fever spread from around 2020, on top of oil palm, pulpwood and mining-driven forest loss.

### How long do bornean bearded pigs live?
A precise wild lifespan for bornean bearded pigs is not firmly established in the sources cited on this guide. The Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus) is a Vulnerable wild pig of Borneo known for mass migrations; populations collapsed after African swine fever spread from around 2020, on top of oil palm, pulpwood and mining-driven forest loss. Where longevity figures appear in the literature they vary by region, sex and whether animals are wild or captive.

### How big is a bornean bearded pig?
A Bornean Bearded Pig is about Up to ~100 kg or more in large boars. The Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus) is a Vulnerable wild pig of Borneo known for mass migrations; populations collapsed after African swine fever spread from around 2020, on top of oil palm, pulpwood and mining-driven forest loss. Conservation status: Vulnerable.

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List — Sus barbatus](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41775/45876594)
- [BBC — African swine fever and Bornean bearded pigs](https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56465227)

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Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/bornean-bearded-pig