Red River Hogs Busy Rooting

"This morning our newest residents, the Red River Hogs, went on exhibit for the first time," reports North Carolina Zoo animal management supervisor Jennifer Ireland.

"All three are very busy rooting around the exhibit and promise to remain very active. If you've never seen a Red River Hog before you must stop by...they are interesting creatures... and have a ton of personality."

The "Hogs" are housed in the current warthog exhibit and will be on exhibit through the weekend. Keepers will then rotate them on exhibit with the Zoo's remaining warthog.

"We will be working on integrating the warthog with the Red River Hogs. Initial introductions have gone fairly well," Jennifer adds.

"In the wild, the red-coated hogs are found in central and western sub-Saharan Africa, especially in the rainforest near rivers and swamps. They usually occur in the wild in large groups called sounders," an NC Zoo media release explains.

"Members of the species are known for their beautiful decoration and unusual ears-- leaf-shaped with long black and white tassels. Adult males, who unlike warthogs have no tusks, can grow to 5 feet in length and weigh as much as 250 pounds.

"Red river hogs are on exhibit in only 12 other zoos in the United States including Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo, Los Angeles Zoo, Cincinnati Zoo, Bronx Zoo and San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park."