A total of 504 observations of nest building behaviour and the re-use of sleeping nests exhibited by 10 individuals of Sulawesi babirusa (Babyrousa celebensis) were made in spacious outdoor enclosures on Bali, Indonesia. We recorded behavioural characteristics associated with the timing of nest building behaviour, nest sites, and selection of nestbuilding materials. Both sexes frequently participated in the construction of sleeping nests during the short period from 17:00 hr to 18:00 hr, which corresponded to the period between the evening feed and the time of sunset. Young babirusa contributed from the age of 15 weeks. The babirusa favoured specific nesting sites in the enclosures determined by available structural supports such as walls, trees or corners. Various kinds of plant materials available in the enclosure were used. In addition to picking up fallen plant matters, they also pulled various parts off trees while standing on the hind limbs. In one instance, parts of a wooden fence were used due to the lack of other nesting materials. When housed as a group, consistent leadership of the nesting behaviour was not recognised; they seemed to prefer cooperative behaviour and built a communal nest. We concluded that nest building behaviour, for resting and sleeping, was a normal and important behaviour of the babirusa and that the provision of nest building materials to captive babirusa was an effective form of enrichment.

The feeding behaviours of the Sulawesi babirusa (Babyrousa celebensis) were investigated in an enclosure imitating the early phase of a commercial coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) grove. Unexpected behaviours, such as the eating of coconut flowers and the picking of young coconut fruits, were observed. Additionally, we conducted experiments in which we fed several different parts of the coconut palm to the animals. We found the following: 1) coconut seedlings and leaflets were not eaten; 2) the babirusas preferred to eat staminate flowers rather than carpellate flowers; 3) the babirusas were able to crush the young coconut fruits with its teeth, but failed to open the mature coconuts; 4) the maxillary and mandibular incisors gripped the coconut, and the tip of the mandibular incisor was then used to penetrate the coconut surface to crack it open; 5) the palatable parts were the kernel and haustorium of the mature coconut.The coconut parts eaten by the babirusas in the experiment were concordant with the pieces of broken kernels and haustorium scattered over coconut groves in copra production. These pieces have no economic value for the farmer.There was insufficient evidence to support the view that babirusas moving through coconut groves constitute vermin for the coconut farmers and copra producers.

ABSTRAKPendahuluan: Penyakit diare masih merupakan masalah kesehatan di negara-negara berkembang, termasuk Indonesia. Survei morbiditas oleh Depkes Indonesia terlihat kecenderungan insiden diare meningkat dari tahun 2000 sebesar 301/1000 penduduk dan tahun 2010 menjadi 411/1000 penduduk. Dilihat dari kelompok umur, prevalensi tertinggi terjadi pada kelompok balita sebesar 16.7%. Di Bali, angka insidens diare tercatat sebesar 5.0%. Penyakit diare masih menjadi salah satu dari sepuluh penyakit terbanyak di puskesmas di Bali. Dari laporan tahunan Puskesmas Sukawati I, Gianyar tercatat pada tahun 2012 sebanyak 48,62% kasus diare terjadi di Desa Sukawati Gianyar dan tahun 2013 tercatat sebanyak 54.64% kasus diare terjadi di sana. Faktor lingkungan, perilaku, pengetahuan, dan sosioekonomi berkaitan erat dengan peningkatan transmisi diare. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui hubungan faktor perilaku dan lingkungan terhadap kejadian diare pada balita. Metode penelitian: Penelitian menggunakan rancangan analisis multivariat cross-sectional dengan populasi terjangkau adalah seluruh kepala keluarga yang memiliki balita dan berdomisili di Desa Sukawati, Gianyar. Sampel penelitian dipilih menggunakan metode stratified random sampling dan besar sampel adalah 70 orang. Ibu balita dari setiap kepala keluarga yang terpilih ditetapkan sebagai responden. Penelitian menggunakan kuesioner terstruktur dan pengamatan langsung lingkungan rumah. Analisis data dilakukan secara univariat, bivariat dengan uji chi-square, dan multivariat dengan uji regresi logistik. Hasil: Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa faktor yang berhubungan dan berpengaruh secara signifikan terhadap kejadian diare balita adalah perilaku kebiasaan memasak air minum (p=0.018). Faktor yang tidak berhubungan dengan kejadian diare balita antara lain: kebiasaan mencuci tangan (p=0.606), makpakang (p=1.00), penggunaan filtrasi air tradisional (0.223), kepemilikan jamban keluarga (0.149), akses sumber air (0.236), dan tempat pembuangan sampah (0.303). Simpulan: Perilaku kebiasaan memasak air minum berhubungan dengan kejadian diare pada balita di Desa Sukawati, Gianyar. Kebiasaan memasak air minum merupakan faktor paling berpengaruh secara signifikan. Kata kunci: diare balita, perilaku, lingkungan