Meet Woodland Park Zoo’s new warty pigs
May 4, 2012, 3:34 PM | Updated: 4:52 pm
Warthogs and warty pigs live social lives in groups called sounders. (Woodland Park Zoo/Dennis Dow)
Warts and pigs, the combination is intoxicating, and now
they can be found at the Woodland Park Zoo.
Visayan warty pigs and warthogs are the first to be part
of the Seattle zoo. Their exhibit, officially opening May
5, can be found at the Elephant Forest near the elephant
pool in a roadleaf tropical forest landscape simulating
their native home of the Philippines.
Kids will love the critically endangered Visayan warty
pigs for their spiky head tufts that resemble the hairdos
of punk rockers.
Did you know? Warthogs and warty pigs live social lives
in groups called sounders.
A brother and sister, both 1-year-old, make up the zoo’s
new sounder. WPZ says the sounder of Visayan
warty pigs consists of a 9-year-old female and two 3-year-
old sisters.
“For many years, domestic pigs have been a crowd-pleaser
at the zoo’s Family Farm, so we’re excited about
introducing wild pigs, especially Visayan warty pigs,
which are so rare in the wild and in zoos. This may be the
only encounter visitors will ever have with this
critically endangered pig,” said Martin Ramirez, a mammal
curator at Woodland Park Zoo.
On opening weekend, May 5-6, free piggy banks will be
given at the ZooStores to the first 500 kids (age 12 and
under) each day.
