Kid Territory:Critters: A Perky Pair of Pigs
You can see how this red river hog piglet looks much different from its mother.
The little red pig got plenty of attention in the nursery, but keepers knew she’d soon want another pig for company.
The adult forest hog seems glad to meet a new face!
Our forest hog is the only one of her kind living in North America!
Even though they were born in very different places, these two seem to be best friends!
Zoo names: "The
Girlfriends"
Species: Western forest Hog and red river hog
Location: San Diego Zoo's Ituri Forest
Their story
Attention pig fans! Where will you find the largest variety of wild pigs in the United States? At the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park we exhibit pigs with beards and pigs with warts. We have sleek pigs and bristly pigs. In fact, we have pigs of all sizes and personalities. All of them are full of energy, smart, and social. One of our favorite pig pals lives at the Zoo. Zoo visitors and employees have enjoyed watching these two meet and grow up together.
"The Girlfriends" story begins back in 2001, when the Zoo received a young, black-colored pig from Guinea, Africa. She had an amazing history! An African family raised her as a pet. She even grew up eating people food. When the family’s village was raided by soldiers, the family, along with the pig, went into the forest for safety. They had to live in hiding in the forest for quite some time. When the fighting ended, the owner took the pig to the zoo in Conakry, Guinea. Eventually the pig arrived at our Zoo and settled down on Horn & Hoof Mesa. At first we thought she was a giant forest hog. But after doing some genetics tests we think she may possibly be a new type of bush pig! She is currently the only western forest hog in North America!
Finding a friend
In spring 2002, the Zoo’s pair of red river hogs had a litter of five babies. One was smaller than the rest and wasn’t being cared for by its mother. So this little red pig spent her babyhood in the hoofed stock nursery in our Children’s Zoo. The keepers said she was very bright, playful, and charming. But she would soon need a companion. Hmmm, we thought. Two solitary young pigs….
The Children’s Zoo keepers took the red baby hog to meet the black forest hog. Several keepers watched the pig introduction carefully, since the black pig was a year older and much bigger. Happily, the two pigs were, says their keeper, immediate best friends. Our original plan was to bring the red baby back to the nursery at night until she got bigger. But the baby wouldn’t go back into her crate at night. She wanted to stay with her new "girlfriend!"
Roomates
Now the two pigs are about the same size. They enthusiastically greet their keeper in the morning. Breakfast is herbivore pellets, leaf eater biscuits, and a head of romaine lettuce. The girlfriends spend the day napping under the bushes and playing. They love a mud wallow on hot days, but otherwise are very clean. The girlfriends have different personalities: the black pig is mellow and the red pig is hyper. The red river hog thinks she is in charge when their browse arrives. Instead of eating the plants, she runs around with the branches and eventually builds their nest for the night. The pigs’ cave gets so full of browse and playthings that the keeper wonders how there is room for the pigs! Sleeping or awake, the girlfriends always have admirers at their enclosure. Be sure to come visit this perky pair of mighty fine swine!
Where to see them
The pig "girlfriends" live in the Zoo's Ituri Forest habitat.
More
San Diego Zoo:
Children's Zoo, Ituri Forest
Animal Bytes: Africa,
Warthog, Wild Swine
Job Profiles: Taking
Care of Animals
