The Javan warty pig is an endangered mammal that lives on the Indonesian island of Java. Its population is estimated to have decreased by more than 50 percent over three generations, which is only 18 years. The main threats to its livelihood are probably hunting and habitat loss. A German conservation group, ZGAP (which stands for Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Populations in German), has a page about conservation of the Javan warty pig that includes a passionate defense of pigs in general: “And they are not ugly either! For people who walk around open-minded and with open eyes there don’t exist any ugly creatures. If anything, pigs look extraordinary, bizarre or grotesque.” I agree, don’t you?

This drawing has some hand lettering on it as a result of a conversation I had with my friend Laura about the dignity of a Florentine boar statue. Sometimes I get a little tired of my drawings and want to try new things, and I do think the lettering is kind of neat. But I also like that the drawings are all in pretty much the same style—I like a matched set—and I enjoy seeing how they’ve changed over the years.