i newspaper, June 6, 2017
(55 words) This is typical of the lazy and incurious subbing which is so prevalent now. How could you let this through without asking where the pigs come from? Looking them up on the internet reveals that this short is lifted direct from the Bristol Zoo press release, but it has been cut to remove the fact that they are native to the Philippines. I would take issue with saying these piglets are endangered, unless it is likely that the keepers will turn on them. It is the species which is endangered, and it is not just rare but almost extinct. Why say ‘a British zoo’ then ‘Bristol Zoo’ when words are so limited? If you are not using a picture, it is pointless to discuss why they are striped. What does it matter where they spent the day? It is scarcely a surprise that they stayed close to their mother. There should not be a comma after the name Sarah Gedman.
This is how I would do it:
The population of the critically endangered Visayan warty pig has increased by four with the arrival of a litter at Bristol Zoo. The species is native to two small islands in the Philippines, and is close to extinction due to habitat loss and hunting. This is the second litter for the zoo’s sow Polly. (53 words)