Wild Pigs at the Zoo - Woodland Park Zoo Seattle WA

NEW THIS SUMMER - WILD PIGS NOW ON VIEW!

Get ready for warts and all! Come see some rooting, dusting, and wallowing now that some mighty fine swine have debuted this summer in their new exhibits at Woodland Park Zoo: African warthogs, the wild pigs of the savanna, and Visayan warty pigs, the punk rockers of the pig world native to central Philippines. These are the first species of wild pigs ever on exhibit at Woodland Park Zoo!

PIG NAMING CONTEST

Name our three little pigs ... Visayan warty pigs, that is!

ENTRIES ARE NOW CLOSED AND THE WINNING NAMES ARE IN!

We tallied your votes, and thanks to your input, our warty pigs are now named:

GUAPA (beautiful)

BULAK (flower)

MAGDULA (playful)

Thanks to all who entered. An announcement of the official prize winners can be found here.

MEET THE PIGS
	Visayan Warty Pig Visayan warty pigs sport a punk hairdo with distinctive head tufts that stand upright as if gelled with hair product. The punk look is even more prominent during breeding season when males erect both tuft and mane for a larger, impressive appearance. In the wild, the Visayan warty pig has lost more than 95 percent of its forested range to logging and agriculture, is hunted for its meat and is killed by farmers as a pest. Only 12 institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums exhibit the species, where they act as wildlife ambassadors to help tell the story of their fragile status in the wild and the important conservation efforts underway to recover wild populations. Find them at the zoo: Wild pigs live in highly social groups called sounders. The sounder of Visayan warty pigs at Woodland Park Zoo has a 9-year-old and two 3-year-old females originally from Los Angeles Zoo, living in a new exhibit designed to evoke the broadleaf tropical forest of this endangered species' fragile habitat in the Philippines. The exhibit is located in the award-winning Elephant Forest near the elephant pool. Want to learn more? Read the Visayan Warty Pig Fact Sheet
	African Warthog Warthogs jumped to fame when the character Pumbaa endeared itself to fans of Disney’s “The Lion King.” The animals earned their name from the large facial warts on each side of their tusks. Warthogs are a common sight on the African savanna. They have long legs to escape predators and often are spotted sprinting very fast with their tails sticking straight up like little flagpoles. Find them at the zoo: A 1-year-old brother and sister from Zoo Atlanta makes up the sounder of warthogs at Woodland Park Zoo. The exhibit takes visitors to the arid savannas of East Africa and is a part of the 4.5-acre, award-winning African Savanna that offers sweeping views dotted with giraffe, hippos, patas monkeys and lions. Want to learn more? Read the African Warthog Fact Sheet
	Kunekune - Not so wild but still a pig! Unlike the zoo's two new wild pig species—the Visayan warty pig and African warthog—the kunekune is a domestic species, albeit a rare one, native to New Zealand. Two kunekune pigs are newly arrived to the zoo's Family Farm exhibit, 6-month-old brothers Baxter and Barkley. Kunekunes are recognizable by their signature short snouts. Their snouts are so short, they practically dip their whole faces in water just to slurp up a drink. They also can have wattles hanging from either side of their throat, fleshy protuberances like those we see on domestic goats. Find them at the zoo: Baxter and Barkley live in the zoo's Family Farm, located just inside the South Entrance.