RZSS Edinburgh Zoo welcomed a new resident, Jacques this week.
The Visayan warty pig arrived from Touropac Zoo in France and has joined the zoo’s existing females, Evie and Mina.
Lorna Hughes, Team Leader for Hoofstock at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo said: “We are very excited about the latest addition to our group of Visayan warty pigs.
“Jacques has settled in really well and is getting to know Evie and Mina and his new enclosure. It is great to be part of the breeding programme for this critically endangered species and we hope that our group will go on to play their part in helping to create a stable captive population which will help secure the future of this unusual species.”
Originating from the Visayan Islands in the Philippines, the Visayan warty pig is critically endangered and is now only found in two percent of the areas it once occupied.
The long-term aim of the Visayan warty pig conservation project is to reintroduce the species to the islands where they have become locally extinct.
Jacques can easily be identified in the enclosure due to the impressive crest of hair that grows from his head down his back during the mating season. Visayan warty pigs are the only species of pig to do this.
