Conservation status: ENDANGERED
Common name: Wild Banteng
Scientific name: Bos javanicus
Type: Mammal
Diet: grass, bamboo, fruits, leaves, and young branches
Length: 2.45 m –3.5 m (Adult)
Weight: 400 kg – 900 kg
The banteng is an endangered species of wild cattle found in Southeast Asia. Their population has decreased by around 80% in the last decades due to a reduction of habitat, hunting, hybridization with domesticated cattle, and infections with cattle diseases.
Currently, the total population of wild bantengs is estimated to be around 5,000-8,000 individuals, with no more than 500 living in the same group. Although I initially thought that the extinction of Javan tigers would result in an increase in the Wild banteng’s population, it seems like bantengs are also suffering greatly from habitat loss and other human activities including domestication.
References:
- “Bos Javanicus (Banteng, Tembadau)”. Iucnredlist.Org, http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/2888/0.
Animals in South-East Asia 