African Swine Fever threatens Southeast Asia's 11 endemic wild pig species

Abstract

Abstract The spread of the most recent African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak in Asia since late 2018 poses a significant threat to endemic pig species and socioeconomic security. Within domestic pigs and free‐living Eurasian wild boars (both Sus scrofa) in Asia, ASF causes almost 100% case fatality. The ongoing ASF epidemic has so far caused the death of over one hundred million domestic pigs, causing unprecedented economic impacts on the global pork industry. Transmission among free‐living wild boars has been reported, and transmission to threatened Asian pig species is probable but lacks research. Our assessment reveals a near‐term risk for Southeast Asia's 11 endemic pig species, which have small population sizes and small ranges that may be insufficient to withstand the initial, lethal onslaught of the disease. The decline of pigs also triggers cascading impacts for endangered carnivores, plant communities, and livelihoods of millions of people. Our management recommendations include time‐critical research themes, improved emerging infectious disease detection through site‐based monitoring and surveillance paired with online reporting and proper carcass disposal.

Keywords

• cascades
• emerging infectious diseases
• livelihoods
• pandemic
• prey depletion
• Red List