One of the world's rarest 'forest-dwelling' pigs born at Chester Zoo

A Visayan warty piglet has been celebrated by conservationists after it was born at Chester Zoo.

The pig is one of the rarest in the world, with as few as 200 of them remaining 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.

The male newcomer arrived to mum Gwen and dad Tre on 16th 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).

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.

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.