You might not have heard of banteng, anoa and babirusa, but these animals need your help.

That’s why conservationists at Chester Zoo are hoping this year’s Action Indonesia Day, which falls on August 10, will help raise the profile of these three key Indonesian animals.

Although babirusa, a wild pig species, and anoa and banteng, two species of wild cattle, are recognised as important species by the Indonesian government, they can be overlooked in international conservation efforts, say members of the Chester Zoo team.

“We know a lot of people who visit the zoo don’t know that we care for banteng, anoa and babirusa here, or even what these species are,” said Amy Humphreys, Programme Coordinator IUCN SSC Asian Wild Cattle Specialist Group at the zoo. Part of her role is to support international breeding programmes for wild cattle, particularly the banteng, which is Critically Endangered according to the IUCN Red List, and the Endangered lowland anoa.

“It’s lovely when visitors ‘discover’ these species and show interest in them, but I think wild pigs and cattle don’t have the profile that other endangered species, like tigers, benefit from,” Amy said. “It’s easy to look at a banteng and think: ‘that’s just a cow’, but they’re just as rare and just as vital to the biodiversity of their habitat as better-known species.”

All three species desperately need support. There are fewer than 2,500 lowland anoa in the wild, and fewer than 3,000 banteng may still roam the forests of southeast Asia. The last estimates suggest there are less than 10,000 babirusa left, all restricted to Indonesian islands.

Amy and her colleague Corinne Bailey, Regional Field Programme Senior Manager for Southeast Asian Islands, support Action Indonesia Day, which was set up by the zoo’s Conservation Education and Engagement department seven years ago. It has now become an internationally recognised awareness day, with over 40 zoos around the world participating each year.

Corinne said: “We want people to know more about wild cattle and wild pigs, because that means that Indonesian conservation programmes will receive more support.

“Anoa are the smallest species of wild cattle in the world. They are elusive and a bit mysterious because not much is known about them in ecological science.”

Amy said that banteng and babirusa are likewise unique.

She said: “People fall in love with the banteng at Chester Zoo because they have such lovely long eyelashes and wonderful markings.

“Babirusa are fascinating because they are so different to other pig species. They don’t root because their noses haven’t developed the same way as other pigs, and they have curling tusks that grow back towards their faces.”

The species highlighted by Action Indonesia Day do have some things in common.

“They are all ecosystem engineers,” said Amy. “They eat vegetation and spread seeds, adding to the biodiversity of their regions. They are all species that the scientific community is still learning about – we’re growing our knowledge of them through camera trapping surveys and other methods. And they are all very endemic – that is, they are restricted to small ranges, such as parts of Sulawesi and other islands.”

The fragmentation of wild populations and the fracturing of their habitats because of mining, farming and development, makes all three animals vulnerable to species-specific threats.

“Swine flu is a real problem for babirusa,” said Amy. “If it enters their range, it can sweep through the population very quickly. Banteng are at risk of hybridisation. Though they live in nature reserves, it’s difficult to maintain reserve boundaries, so domesticated Bali cattle may end up grazing alongside wild cattle. If they interbreed, we risk losing those unique banteng genetics.”

Chester Zoo is involved in conservation breeding programmes, with the herd at the zoo playing a part in maintaining a healthy insurance population for these species.

Scientists at the zoo regularly run endocrinology (hormone) testing on anoa and banteng dung samples sent into the conservation physiology lab in the on-site International Centre for Zoo Science, helping other organisations better understand the health and reproduction of the animals they care for.

Meanwhile, Amy and Corinne are supporting field work to research and protect all three species in Indonesia.

They organise camera trapping surveys, work with national parks and partners in Java and Sulawesi to find out more about wild pig and cattle populations and habitats, and facilitate skills-sharing, so the knowledge gained from caring for these animals in zoos can benefit the wider species.

“Action Indonesia Day is an opportunity to tell people about these species and to celebrate what zoos and conservationists are doing to help the mission to save them,” said Amy.

Chester Zoo is holding an ongoing JustGiving campaign to raise funds for the field programmes. £15 could buy one day of food and fuel for a ranger installing camera traps.

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/campaign/actionindonesia

To find out more about Action Indonesia Day 2025, visit www.actionindonesiagsmp.org/action-indonesia-day