Zoo visitors are invited to help secure a future for three ‘little known’ and highly endangered Asian species this weekend.

Chester Zoo is hosting a series of talks and activities on August 8 and 9 to raise awareness of the plight of wild cattle and pigs and to mark Action Indonesia Day.

Conservationists say visitors can have a real impact on the futures of the babirusa, banteng and anoa, three Indonesian species facing serious declines in the wild.

Scientific estimates suggest there are fewer than 3,000 bantengs, a species of sandy-gold cattle, 2,500 lowland anoas, the world’s smallest buffalo, and 10,000 babirusas, wild pigs with unique noses and tusks, surviving in their island habitats.

They range from Critically Endangered to Vulnerable to Extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.

I would guess not many people know about these species – I didn’t before I started working at the zoo. So, we’re hoping to raise awareness, help people understand the risks they face and support their conservation through Action Indonesia Day.

All three are ecologically important, as they help transport seeds into new areas while they forage, and culturally important, as some of the oldest known cave art features them. Indonesian people have cared about them for thousands of years, but globally they are little known.

That’s a shame, because they face risks driven by global issues, like the spread of African swine fever, and habitat loss driven by demand for products like nickel.

Visitors can find out more at a stand near the zoo entrance on both Saturday and Sunday.

From 1pm-3pm, rangers from the zoo’s conservation education and engagement team will run Action Indonesia Day crafts, including mask-making and a personality quiz to reveal which species visitors are most like, alongside a display of animal artefacts.

Rangers will also be at the main entrance from 9:30am-11am and 2pm-4pm, inviting visitors to take part in a debate on the species' conservation.

“Action Indonesia Day raises awareness for babirusas, bantengs, anoas and tigers, but everyone knows about tigers,” said Kat. “So, we want to challenge people to learn about the other Indonesian species.

“On Saturday, we’re also launching a series of special afternoon talks at the sun bear, anoa, banteng and babirusa habitats, followed by a keeper Q&A, which will take place daily until the end of August. It’s exciting because right now we have Mentari, the baby anoa, so people can see this new and very important addition to the zoo.”

Zoo educators want to empower visitors to take real actions to help these species.

Kat said: “Their habitats are affected by mining, so one thing they can do is reduce, reuse and recycle products that include nickel, like mobile phones, batteries and most electric appliances with heating elements.

“We can also take inspiration from the species themselves. They are the gardeners of the forest so maybe they can encourage us to plant more in our own neighbourhoods.

“This is a chance to learn about the zoo’s field conservation programmes, which people can donate to, and to understand why these species are important and deserve protection.”