Run for the conservation of 'Baboy Talunon' conducted
SIBALOM, Antique – A run for the conservation of the Visayan Warty Pig locally known as “Baboy Talunon” was conducted in the morning of February 6, 2009. The run, named “Dalaganay para sa Pag-amlig kang Baboy Talunon 2000”9, began in Barangay Cubay Napultan and ended in Barangay Salvacion, both in Sibalom, Antique. The run was open to Sibalomnons and was organized by the Sangguniang Kabataan of Salvacion, in partnership with the Barangay Council of Salvacion and Agaton R. Grasparil III.
The run was the first public awareness campaign in the world to focus on the need to conserve the Visayan Warty Pig, a widely misunderstood and critically endangered species of wild pig that is endemic to the Negros-Panay Faunal Region.
The Negros-Panay Faunal Region is composed of Cebu, Negros, Panay, Guimaras, Masbate and Ticao. At present, the Visayan Warty Pig exists in the wild only in Negros and in Panay, and possibly also in Masbate, where its existence is yet to be confirmed. The animal has become extinct in Cebu, Guimaras and Ticao.
Known locally as Baboy Talunon and scientifically as Sus cebifrons, the Visayan Warty Pig is a forest-dwelling animal whose survival is threatened mainly by deforestation. What makes matters worse for the animal is the negative attitude by some people towards it. Some people destroy forests for farming, lessening the natural sources of food of the animal, and forcing it to raid crops out of hunger. Some people hunt it because they think of it as a pest, and when they capture it, they eat it. Some other people hunt it for no reason at all but to eat it. Many people do not know that the animal is part of the intricate web of life in the forest and is therefore crucial to forest regeneration. Wayward domestic pigs also pose a threat to the survival of the Visayan Warty Pig as they can cross-breed with the animal and they sometimes carry disease-causing organisms that can infect the animal.
The next edition of the Dalaganay para sa Pag-amlig kang Baboy Talunon will be held on February 5, 2010.
Conducting a Salvacion-bound run was started a few years ago by then SK Chairperson Alejandro M. Alentajan Jr. of Salvacion upon the suggestion of Agaton R. Grasparil III, and was continued by the present SK Chairperson of the barangay, Renila N. Agustino. This year’s edition of the Salvacion-bound run was the first one to become a public awareness campaign for the conservation of a critically endangered species.