One of the Hogs in this photo- I can't say which one- escaped on the day of its birth through a gap in the fencing and had to be recaptured after a chase- I happened to be watching.
When I visited one of the keepers went around the inside of the largest paddock , moving back any piles of earth that had been pushed up against the fence line , presumably to stop any possible escape attempts over the fence .
I agree the set-up is not particularly attractive but it does seem to work well , with 3 connecting paddocks and 2 houses , ideal for managing a large group .
Does anyone know if this big group have all been bred up from the original pair that Woburn acquired ?
I can't answer for sure but would guess yes. They are very fecund once they start breeding. But occassionally pairs never breed, having developed a sibling relationship as piglets which have then never been seperated- examples are the first pairs imported to the UK at Belfast (bred after change of partners) and Port Lympne(never bred). But other zoos seem increasingly successful in propogating this species- they certainly look a lot more natural looking in larger groups.
