The Newest, Cutest Baby Animals from the World's Zoos & Aquariums

Category: Pigs & Warthogs

  • Surprise Hoglets Pop into Spain

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    Bioparc Valencia - crías de potamoquero

    Two Red River Hogs were born unexpectedly in early May at Bioparc Valencia in Spain. These colorful wild boars live in the African equatorial forest, typically near water. In recent years the population of this species has grown dramatically in accredited zoos, but the genetic pool is shrinking. International controls to prevent the spread of swine flu have made the transport of these hogs between foreign zoos for responsible breeding purposes more challenging. After a lot of red tape, the father of these tiny hoglets was finally sent to a German zoo where he could contribute genetic diversity, but not before clandestinely fathering these two little piggies.

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    Bioparc Valencia - Biberón potamoquero - detalle

    Don't miss this video!

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  • Little Pigs, Little Pigs…

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    On May 6, a dozen piglets were born at Lincoln Park Zoo’s Farm-in-the-Zoo Presented by John Deere, just in time for Mother's Day. They quickly began nursing and scampering around their pen, under the close watch of mom.

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    Photo credits: John Kortas / Lincoln Park Zoo

  • Red River Hoglets at Howletts!

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    On May 3, 2011, Howletts Wild Animal Park in Canterbury, England welcomed the birth of two baby Red River Hogs.The Red River Hog, or bush pig, is widely distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar, across forests, mountains and grasslands. These pigs are social animals, often living in small groups called "drifts" or herds.

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    Most active at night, Red River Hogs have made enemies with some farmers by raiding crops. They are hunted for this reason, as well as for meat. While they are not at high risk, there are very few in zoos, so these babies offer a rare opportunity to appreciate this strong, intelligent and adapatable animal. With its reddish coat and patterned face, it is probably the most attractive-looking of wild pigs.

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    Photo credits: Shelly Ansell

  • Four Little Hoglets!

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    The first-ever Red River Hoglets born at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo are healthy, growing, and spending their days learning how to root and wallow, as every good hog should know how to do. The pair, a boy and a girl, was born the morning of March 23, and can now be seen on exhibit in African Rift Valley on sunny days when the temperature reaches at least 50 to 60 degrees. The hoglets weigh in at a little over two pounds and are already devouring fresh vegetables, along with their mother’s milk.

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    Photo credits: Tracey Gazibara, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo



    Video credits: Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

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  • Four Formosan Hoglets in Taipei

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    Formosan Wild Boar hoglets at Taipei Zoo 1

    On February 10 Taiwan's Taipei Zoo welcomed four little Formosan Wild Boar hoglets. This subspecies of boar is native only to Taiwan. The little boars were born as part of a Taipei Zoo conseration program to protect the species, which has become increasingly rare as farmers allow their domestic pigs to roam free and interbreed with Formosan Boars. Zookeeper Chen Yan He, the Zoo's unofficial "pig nanny," has worked with a variety of pigs and boars in the past but says that the Formosan Boars are among the most gentle.

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    Formosan Wild Boar hoglets at Taipei Zoo 2bPhoto credits: Taipei Zoo

  • Zoo Basel Welcomes Miniature Piglets

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    Zoo basel glucksschein1Photo credits: Zoo Basel

    These little piglets may not be especially exotic, but they are a welcome addition to the Zoo Basel family. As well as these "mini-schweinn", the zoo is home to a variety of animals of the porcine persuasion (if only by name) including Wild Boar, Porcupines, and Guinea Pigs.

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  • Little Peccary Piglets in Los Angeles

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    On August 23, the Los Angeles Zoo welcomed two Chacoan Peccary piglets. This relative of the pig is native to Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay. They were thought to be extinct until 1972 when biologists found the species hidden away in a secluded section of Paraguay. 

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    Baby peccary piglets los angeles zoo 1b

    Baby peccary piglets los angeles zoo 1b
    Photo credits: Tad Motoyama / Los Angeles Zoo

    In the wild, low growing species of cactus make up most of the peccary’s diet.  Like hogs, peccaries have a well-developed snout used to root out bulbs, roots, tubers and rhizomes of a variety of plants. Unlike the domestic pig, the peccary is a slow and dainty eater; they do not devour their food rapidly.

  • Forget Jon and Kate: Hamton the Pig Plus Fourteen Piglets!

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    Hamton the pig had a busy spring at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo, cozying up with not one but two charming Guinea Hog sows, Jodie and Olivia. This past week, both sows gave birth to big litters, eight and six respectively, making Hamton the proud father of fourteen little piglets! Guinea Hogs are a domestic breed that was once the most prevalent in the American Southeast, but today their are only about 200 individuals left.

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    Connecticuts beardsley zoo baby guinea hog pigs 2Photo credits: Shannon Calvert

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  • Three Little Visayan Pigs

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    The Chester Zoo in the U.K. has 3 little Visayan Warty Piglets to be proud of. Critically endangered in the wild, Visayan Warty Pigs are endemic to two islands in the central Philippines. Named for what scientists believe to be protective tissue covering three areas on its face, the species is maintained by only 6 zoos in Europe.


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    Photo Credits: Courtesy of Chester Zoo

  • Three Little Pigs

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    If you had to give out an award for the prettiest of all pigs, the Red River Hog would be a top contender. While the little hoglets don't have the orange-red fur of their parents, they do sport fashion forward camouflage stripes. These three little pigs were born at the LA Zoo at the end of May. Definitely worth a visit if you live in the area. On a sidenote, I think the music in the video is perfectly suited for piggy adventuring.

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    Red river hoglets la zoo 1Photo credits: Tad Motoyama / LA Zoo

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