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El pecarí del Chaco conocido localmente en Paraguay como tagua (Catagonus wagneri) es una especie en peligro de extinción endémica del Chaco Americano, cuya situación se mantiene en deterioro como consecuencia de la pérdida y transformación de su hábitat y de la caza excesiva en toda su área de distribución. Este trabajo presenta los resultados obtenidos y la información recopilada durante el taller “Estrategia Regional para la Conservación del Tagua” realizado en la ciudad de Asunción del Paraguay durante marzo del año 2016. En base a datos biológicos, parámetros poblacionales, puntos de presencia de la especie, datos de deforestación y cacería, describimos la situación de la especie en cada país, modelamos la distribución de la especie y aptitud del hábitat con el programa Maxent y los efectos de la cacería en la viabilidad poblacional con el programa Vortex. La ecoregión Chaqueña posee una de las mayores tasas de deforestación mundial, debido a la expansión de la ganadería y de la agricultura generando como consecuencia una pérdida de hábitat que representa la mayor amenaza para la supervivencia de la especie. En Paraguay, la deforestación en el centro del Chaco amenaza las poblaciones remanentes de tagua. En Argentina la rápida degradación de la vegetación nativa y las falencias en la implementación de normativas que manejan el bosque indican que la situación del tagua es precaria. La información disponible para la especie en Bolivia se restringe al Parque Nacional Kaa-Iya, sin embargo, la aptitud del hábitat dentro del parque y en el resto del Chaco boliviano es alta lo cual indicaría que el tagua podría estar en mejores condiciones de conservación que en los otros dos países. Los modelos de aptitud del hábitat muestran que la cobertura del suelo, la isotermalidad y la elevación son las variables mejor correlacionadas con la presencia de la especie. Aproximadamente 46% de la superficie del Gran Chaco sería apta para la especie, y únicamente el 12% del área con la mejor aptitud está incluido en un sistema oficial de protección. Según el modelo de viabilidad poblacional se requieren poblaciones mínimas de entre 1000 y 1300 individuos, en ausencia de amenazas de origen humano (ej.: caza), para que la especie sobreviva por lo menos 100 años sin perder variación genética. Con tasas anuales de cacería del 20% y del 10% la especie debería extinguirse en 20 y 100 años respectivamente. Sin embargo, una cacería que coseche el 5% de la población podría ser sustentable, si no hubiera pérdida de hábitat. La dramática conversión de superficies naturales sumada a la reducida superficie de áreas aptas protegidas y a la presión de caza determina que la conservación del tagua a largo plazo se vea amenazada. Es necesario continuar con trabajos de investigación que permitan obtener datos de calidad para posibilitar la gestión y manejo sostenible de la especie. Es indispensable que se revisen las políticas de uso del suelo y se implementen controles a la deforestación masiva que ponen en peligro el tagua y el resto de la biodiversidad del Chaco. The Chacoan peccary known locally in Paraguay as tagua (Catagonus wagneri) is an endangered species endemic to the Gran Chaco. Its situation continues to deteriorate as a consequence of habitat loss and transformation, as well as excessive hunting throughout its range. This study presents results and information obtained during the workshop “Regional strategy for the conservation of the tagua”, held in Asunción, Paraguay, in March 2016. Using population parameters as well as biological, species presence, hunting and deforestation data, we describe the conservation status in each country, model the species distribution and habitat suitability using Maxent software and the effects of hunting on population viability using Vortex software. The Chaco region has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world due to the expansion of agriculture and pastures, leading to habitat loss, which is currently the largest threat to the species survival. In Paraguay, high deforestation in the center of the Chaco threatens the remnant tagua populations. In Argentina, rapid degradation of the native vegetation and deficient implementation of land management legislation indicate a precarious situation for the species. The information about the species in Bolivia is restricted to the Kaa-Iya National Park, however, high habitat suitability in the park and outside indicate that the species may have a better conservation status than in the other countries. Habitat suitability models show that land cover, isothermality and elevation are the variables that best explain the species’ presence. Approximately 46% of the Gran Chaco is suitable for the species, but only 12% of the area with high suitability is under some type of protection. According to the population viability model done with the software Vortex, a minimum population of 1000 to 1300 individuals is required, with no human threats, to ensure that the species will survive for 100 years without losing genetic diversity. With annual hunting rates of 20% and 10% of the population, the species would go extinct in 20 and 100 years respectively, however, a harvest rate of 5% could be sustainable in the absence of habitat loss. The dramatic conversion of natural habitat, in addition to the small area that is protected and the persistence of illegal hunting threaten the future of the species. Further research is required to generate the data necessary to manage the conservation and potential use of the species. Land use policies must be revised, and the deforestation and illegal hunting that jeopardize the tagua and the entire Chaco biodiversity must be controlled. Fil: Altrichter, Mariana. Prescott University; Estados Unidos. Iucn; Suiza Fil: Saldivar-Ballesai Silvia. Itaipu; Paraguay Fil: Decarre, Julieta. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación de Recursos Naturales; Argentina Fil: Camino, Micaela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral; Argentina Fil: Campos Krauer Juan. Centro Chaqueño Para la Conservación y la Investigació; Paraguay Fil: Yanosky Alberto. Guyra Paraguay; Paraguay Fil: Leus Kristin. Iucn; Suiza Fil: Ferraz Katia. Universidade do Sao Paulo. Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz; Brasil Fil: Silva Angelieri Cintia Camila. Universidade do Sao Paulo. Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz; Brasil Fil: Desbiez Arnaud. Iucn; Suiza Fil: Cuellar Rosa Leny. Fundación Kaa Iyá; Bolivia Fil: Cartés José. Guyra Paraguay; Paraguay Fil: Giordano Anthony. S.p.e.c.i.e.s; Estados Unidos Fil: Thompson Jeffrey. Consejo Nacional de Ciencias y Tecnología (conacyt).; Paraguay Fil: Velilla Marianela. Guyra Paraguay; Paraguay Fil: Torres Ricardo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina Fil: Neris Nora. Secretaría de Ambiente; Paraguay Fil: Cabral Hugo. Guyra Paraguay; Paraguay

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.

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.

Babirusa (genus Babyrousa), wild pigs from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and neighbouring smallislands, most obviously differ from other wild pigs in that the maxillary (upper) canine teeth of themales pierce through the skin of the nose and curl over the forehead. The females sometimes showsmall teeth piercing through the nasal skin. The process of anatomical growth of these maxillarycanine teeth and the remodelling of the alveolar processes (tooth sockets) within which they grow ishere illustrated and explained for the first time. Forty-four skulls in museum and private collectionswere studied. They represented all ages, from neonates to adult animals. The deciduous maxillarycanine teeth of both sexes begin life by pointing rostrally and slightly ventrally into the oral cavity andthen appear to be rotated dorsally and medially. The permanent teeth continue this process, rotatingthrough approximately 90 degrees, from pointing rostrally to pointing dorsally through the nasal skin.The structure of the alveolar process is in the meantime modified and develops a bony flange caudally.We hypothesise that some form of connective tissue, stretching from the flange to the subcutaneoustissues of the forehead, exerts a caudally orientated pulling force that results in the gradual rotationof the alveolar process. The contributory role in this pulling force of bone growth at the facial suturesis also highlighted.