The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is celebrating the birth of four critically endangered Visayan warty piglets at Edinburgh Zoo. Keepers at the wildlife conservation charity say the piglets, born to parents Nikki and Elvis on 25 June, are all doing well and will be named soon.
Jonny Appleyard, hoofstock team leader at Edinburgh Zoo said, “We are so excited to welcome Nikki and Elvis’ piglets. Our Visayan warty pigs are full of character, and our four new arrivals are no exception. Once they receive their first health check in the coming weeks we will know if they are boys or girls.”
The red river hog family at Marwell Wildlife has expanded its ranks with the arrival of three adorable piglets born on Tuesday, 18 July.
The proud parents, Lisala and Kermit, are no strangers to parenthood, having previously welcomed twins in August of the previous year.
These new arrivals, identified as triplets, boast more vibrant markings compared to their parents and can be observed within the red river hog habitat alongside their mother, father, and older brother Matonda.
IT'S A BOY! Do you love Cheyenne Mountian Zoo’s hoglet and want to make a lasting contribution to the Zoo? You could bid to win the privilege of naming this little boy! Head to http://www.cmzoo.org/hoglet to register and bid. The winner will get to name and meet the hoglet in person! The bidding window ends on Wed., Sept. 28, 2022, at 7 p.m. MT.
The winning bid will directly support CMZoo’s world-class conservation, education, and animal care programs. Thank you for your support. They can't wait to see your naming ideas!
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s little Red River hog is one month old today! To celebrate, the entire hog family enjoyed foraging for yummy produce inside some birthday-themed cardboard boxes (painted with non-toxic paint, of course) in the sunny yard.
Because the hoglet and its mom have been doing so well, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo have not needed to perform any up-close examinations, which means they haven't 100% confirmed its sex, either. As soon as they do, they’ll let you know.
West Virginia’s Oglebay Good Zoo has happily reported that a single red river hoglet was born at the zoo on August 8, 2022. She weighed over 800 grams at birth and was not expected by Zoo officials.
The Good Zoo animal care team had to assist with supplement feeding of the red river hoglet because mom, Raven, was not producing enough milk during the first few days after her birth. The team came in during evenings and throughout the night to ensure that the piglet was receiving enough nourishment by providing formula.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo keepers were greeted by a brand-new baby Red River hog in the early hours of Fri., Aug. 12. They had suspicions a baby was on the way, and their suspicions were confirmed when they found Red River hog mom, Zena, resting peacefully with her baby, who appears to be in good health.
“We are over the moon with excitement for this little one,” said Lauren Phillippi, lead keeper in African Rift Valley. “Red River hog babies are some of the cutest in the whole animal kingdom with their little stripes, tiny statures and energetic behaviors.”
We’re celebrating the arrival of Marwell Wildlife’s first ever red river hoglets, born at Marwell On Sunday 7 August.
The twins, who are yet to be named, were born to mother Lisla and father Kermit and are already exploring their enclosure between naps.
Red river hoglets have more vivid markings than their adult counterparts and in the wild, the rows of pale yellow spots would help them camouflage in long grass to avoid being seen by predators.
MELBOURNE, Fla., June 14, 2022 — Brevard Zoo welcomed not one, but two north Sulawesi babirusa piglets on May 18! The offspring were born to 6-year-old mom Piggy and dad Meru. Although we are unsure of their sexes at this time, animal care staff note that both babies appear healthy and alert.
DierenPark Amersfoort welcomes seven Bonte Bentheimer piglets. Mother Liv has given birth to her first litter. "It is always exciting how the delivery goes and how Liv reacts to her new offspring," says animal caretaker Marc Belt. “Everything seems to be going well. The youngsters are drinking well and carefully taking their first steps.”
One of the world’s rarest pig species has been born at Chester Zoo.
The arrival of a Visayan warty piglet has given cause for celebration for keepers at the charity zoo, with as few as 200 now remaining in the wild.
The male newcomer arrived to mum Gwen (9) and dad Tre (10) on 16 November 2021 and now joins a family of five.
These forest-dwelling pigs are listed as critically endangered by the International Union of Conservation for Nature (IUCN).
The species has suffered a drastic population decline in the wild. Agricultural expansion and logging have devastated vast amounts of their native habitat in the Philippines, and they are also hunted for their meat and persecuted for raiding crops – making them one of the rarest wild pigs on the planet.
The latest addition to the breeding programme will be an ambassador for his relatives in the wild.
Mark Brayshaw, Curator of Mammals at Chester Zoo, said:
“It’s fantastic to see the birth of any animal, but when they’re critically endangered and fighting for survival in the wild, it makes it even more special. Baby piglets are incredibly energetic and playful, and so the whole group will certainly be kept very busy over the coming months!
“Visayan warty pigs aren’t just your average pig. During breeding season, males develop a long, protruding mane from their head, giving them a mohawk-like hairstyle. Both mum Gwen and dad Tre are named after punk rockers Gwen Stefani and Tre Cool as a result of this iconic look, and I’m sure it won’t be long until we’ve decided a suitable name to follow in that tradition.
“Every piglet is a vital addition to the breeding programme and will help champion the plight of this fascinating, charismatic species.”
Chester Zoo’s latest arrival is vitally important to the endangered species breeding programme which is looking to maintain a genetically viable population of Visayan warty pigs in zoos around Europe.
The Visayan warty pig was recently recognised as a species in its own right. Little is currently known about these animals in the wild and experts say that by working closely with them in the zoo, they can transfer knowledge to further support the animals in the wild.
Stuart Young, Regional Field Programme Manager for South East Asian Islands at Chester Zoo, explains:
“Working with Visayan warty pigs in the zoo gives us the opportunity to study these animals in a way we never would have been able to in the wild.
“However, the important knowledge gathered here at the zoo is then shared with our partners at the Talarak Foundation in Negros, the Philippines, and has helped with the reintroduction of 19 Visayan warty pigs back into the wild. The pigs were reintroduced to Bayawan Nature Reserve in Negros in July 2020, where the animals had been extinct for more than 10 years. We’re absolutely delighted to reveal that the population is now thriving and 10 piglets have been born since they were rehomed.
“Although pigs can sometimes be overlooked, and don’t gather the attention that other bigger mammals receive, they play a really important role in the ecosystem - which is why we must continue to prevent their extinction.”
Visayan warty pigs live in small social groups and communicate with squeaks, grunts and chirrups. Piglets take their mother’s milk for up to six months, moving on to a varied diet that includes roots, tubers and fruits.
Chester Zoo was the first zoo in the UK to care for Visayan warty pigs, a species that gets its name from three pairs of fleshy warts on the boar’s face.
The breeding centre in the Philippines, and the nature reserve where the pigs were released, have recently been hit by a deadly typhoon causing damage to fences and buildings. Chester Zoo is supporting the Talarak Foundation with repair costs, but extra funding is needed.