North Carolina Zoo welcomes six critically endangered Visayan warty piglets, including a record litter of four
Six critically endangered Visayan warty piglets were born at the North Carolina Zoo in two litters. One litter of four is the largest on record in the species' Species Survival Plan and the first born in the US since 2022.
The North Carolina Zoo has six new Visayan warty piglets, a critically endangered species, the zoo said on 23 October. One litter of four is the largest on record in the species' Species Survival Plan, the coordinated breeding program for zoos in North America.
Two litters, one father
The litter of four was born to Buddy, an 8-year-old female, and Makaio, a 7-year-old male. It was the first Visayan warty pig litter born in the United States since 2022. Makaio also fathered two piglets with Shy, a second-time mother. The piglets were born in the zoo's new Asia region, which opens to the public on 1 March 2027.
“These warty piglets are symbolic of a much larger wildlife conservation effort.” — Diane Villa, Deputy Director, North Carolina Zoo
A pig from two Philippine islands
Visayan warty pigs live in the wild only on the islands of Negros and Panay in the Philippines. Only about three dozen are kept in US zoos, according to the zoo.
Critically Endangered is the highest risk category on the IUCN Red List short of extinction in the wild; our Red List explainer sets out what each level means.
The public names four of them
The zoo is asking the public to help name four of the piglets, one male and three females, with voting open until 30 October and the winners announced on 2 November. Zoo staff will name the other two. More stories of endangered species are collected under endangered species.
Sources
- North Carolina Zoo · nczoo.org
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