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

Conservationists at Chester Zoo are hoping to raise the profile of these three key Indonesian animals.

Action Indonesia Day, set up by the zoo seven years ago, has now become an internationally recognised awareness day - with over 40 zoos around the world participating each year.

Babirusa, a wild pig species, alongside anoa and banteng - two species of wild cattle, 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.

The last estimates suggest there are less than 10,000 babirusa left (Image via: Chester 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.

"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.

However, 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.

Corinne Bailey, senior manager for Southeast Asian Islands, said: "We want people to know more about wild cattle and wild pigs, because that means that Indonesian conservation programmes will receive more support.

Chester Zoo is involved in conservation breeding programmes (Image via: Chester Zoo)

"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.

Action Indonesia Day is an opportunity to tell people about these species (Image via: Chester Zoo)

"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.

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

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

"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.

To find out more about Action Indonesia Day 2025, visit here.

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Chester Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our city.

Subscribe to our free Newsletter here - just click the 'SIGN UP' button.