Three Little Pigs Born in the Netherlands

On February 27th, three little Warthogs were born at Burgers' Zoo in the Netherlands. The triplets are sure to be in good care with their mother, who has already successfully raised fifteen piglets before this latest liter. On March 21st the piglets were examined by veterinarians, given transponders, and sexed. It was determined that the zoo had received one male and two females. This news excited those working at the zoo as the females represent only the third and forth females of this mother's eighteen total offspring.

The latest birth brings the zoo's Warthog total up to eight. In addition to the parents of the most recent piglets, the zoo is home to three previous offspring of this breeding pair. This includes a male born in 2010 at the zoo, and a male and female born there just last year. The mother and her three piglets are currently separated from the adult male and their three previous offspring. The zoo typically keeps the young separated with their mother for about eight weeks before they are introduced to their father and the rest of their family. This mimics the time a litter would spend in a burrow with their mother following a birth in the wild.

Photo credits: Theo Kruse / Burgers' Zoo

This piglets were born after a gestation period of approximately 155 days. They represent a very typical litter size, though litters can range anywhere between one and seven offspring. Though they were quite small when first born, the males will weigh upwards of 200 pounds when full grown, with the female reaching anywhere between 100 and 150 pounds.