Bringing home the bacon: are there any cool pig species exhibits in zoos?

DavidBrown

DavidBrown

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
There are multiple interesting suid species in zoos: warthogs, babirusas, red river hogs, bearded pigs, wild boars, etc.

Pigs can be fun animals to watch, being active and intelligent. They are ecologically and culturally important. Despite this most zoo suid exhibits seem quite boring. Most of the ones that I have seen are basically muddy or dusty paddocks. I assume that is because pig species are likely destructive of vegetation.

Nonetheless, given their potential charisma I've not seen any great pig exhibits that would make people go "WOW! What a cool animal!"

Maybe some kind of interactive activity station as part of an exhibit featuring their intelligence or ecological role would help? "Dig Like A Pig" where people can simulate a snout rooting through some dirt and learning something about pig behavior and ecology?

So does anyone have a favorite pig species exhibit that might serve as a model for zoos wanting to really highlight their suids?
 
Well....the Audubon Zoo mixes their Babirusas with Asian Otters.

I've seen some nice Red River Hog enclosures, but that's about it.
 
Caldwell Zoo has warthogs in their large savannah with zebras and ostrich and antelope. Nicely vegetated throughout - given enough space they will not destroy the vegetation.

San Diego Safari Park has warthogs with bat eared foxes in a nicely designed (but still dirt) outdoor exhibit.
 
DavidBrown said:
There are multiple interesting suid species in zoos: warthogs, babirusas, red river hogs, bearded pigs, wild boars, etc.

Pigs can be fun animals to watch, being active and intelligent. They are ecologically and culturally important. Despite this most zoo suid exhibits seem quite boring. Most of the ones that I have seen are basically muddy or dusty paddocks. I assume that is because pig species are likely destructive of vegetation.

Nonetheless, given their potential charisma I've not seen any great pig exhibits that would make people go "WOW! What a cool animal!"

Maybe some kind of interactive activity station as part of an exhibit featuring their intelligence or ecological role would help? "Dig Like A Pig" where people can simulate a snout rooting through some dirt and learning something about pig behavior and ecology?

So does anyone have a favorite pig species exhibit that might serve as a model for zoos wanting to really highlight their suids?
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Well, they are not technically pigs, but the javelina exhibit at Arizona Sonora Desert Museum is brilliant, and includes several nice interactives, most notably a moveable bronze model of a skull that demonstrates the self-sharpening tusks of these formidable little beasties.
 
Brookfield mixes red river hogs with a herd of waterbuck and ostrich that is nicely vegetated.
The Greater Vancouver zoo has a 2 acre forested wild boar exhibit.
 
DavidBrown said:
Maybe some kind of interactive activity station as part of an exhibit featuring their intelligence or ecological role would help? "Dig Like A Pig" where people can simulate a snout rooting through some dirt and learning something about pig behavior and ecology?
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Whipsnade have exactly such a thing by their (nice but very basic) wild boar paddock - a small sand pit, with "food items" at its bottom, and boar "snouts" with which to root around. It works well.

My favourite pig exhibit? The historical swine house at Berlin Zoo. Not very spacious (!), but packed with character and atmosphere (and pigs).
 
The problem is that pigs are rotavators: with the help of a little rainfall they can turn any naturalistic exhibit into a morass (an immersion exhibit for the pigs but not for the public). It is obviously important for the pigs to do this, but difficult to limit it.
In my experience, fairly sandy exhibits for wart hogs work well - although I have never seen one which provides or encourages them to dig or enlarge a proper burrow. Chester's best pig enclosure houses a pair of wart hogs with a large group of banded mongooses. It can actually be viewed without paying for the privilege since it is outside the entrance barrier; it is long, narrow and well-drained and there is a little moat, some vegetation and a low wall between the animals and the people. About 20% of the total area, nearest the indoor housing, is covered in bark chips and the animals are usually fed in this part - the rest is covered in fairly sparse grass with scattered logs and some bare patches including trails used by the mongooses.

Alan
 
The three main species in the UK are the Red River Hog, Warthog and increasingly, the Visayan Warty Pig, with Wild Boar and Peccary at a few places too. Many of the enclosures seem adequate rather than really exciting, probably as others have stated, because of their 'rotovator' behaviour.

The largest enclosure I have seen is at Howletts for the group of circa seven(last counted in May) Red River Hogs. A whole area of scrub/old orchard, has been given over to them but despite the large size, they have completely denuded the ground over the whole area. But otherwise it is very 'natural'.

Colchester have a large open sandy enclosure for a group of about eight Warthog. Their Red River Hog enclosure for a still larger group is disappointingly on the small-side though.

Woburn has a stockade-type paddock in the Children's area for another large group of RRHogs, it is okay but nothing special. Whipsnade's is a typical small paddock.

Paignton have six RR Hogs in a typical Paddock. They have a small Peccary group in similar small paddock.

Marwell have a sanded(or woodchip or both?) yard for Warthog. Many years ago this was the hardstanding area for their group of Impala.

London have a Cotton terrace paddock for Warthog. Bornean Bearded Pig display in the old Elephant House is quite effective.

Newquay -Visayan Warty Pigs have a small triangular woodchip-floored section of the hilly paddock their Phillipine Deer live in.

Enclosures for RRHogs I haven't seen are at Jersey, Yorkshire, Folly Farm, Flamingo Park and some others (Trotters?). There must be some more I've seen too, plus Babirusa at one or two places also.

The main thing I always notice is how much more visually effective and active a larger group is- most pig species being social animals living in 'sounders', a group of six should be the minimum exhibit number I think.
 
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Flamingo Land has Red River Hogs, Warthogs and Visayan Warty Pigs housed in an exhibit opened last year (part of Children's Planet). Really they are housed in traditional pig yards - ones I like very much.

YWP's Red River Hogs are in a natural paddock.

For me you will never beat Dudley's lovely little moated exhibit for Thurston the Red River Hog all those years ago.
 
Parrotsandrew said:
Flamingo Land has Red River Hogs, Warthogs and Visayan Warty Pigs housed in an exhibit opened last year (part of Children's Planet). Really they are housed in traditional pig yards - ones I like very much.

YWP's Red River Hogs are in a natural paddock.

For me you will never beat Dudley's lovely little moated exhibit for Thurston the Red River Hog all those years ago.
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Seen the photos of Flamingo Park 'piggery'- looks okay.

Also Yorkshire, their RR. hogs are partly in pine trees I think.

Thurston- in his time he was the only RR Hog in the UK apart from one at Paignton.
 
Pertinax said:
Newquay -Visayan Warty Pigs have a small triangular woodchip-floored section of the hilly paddock their Phillipine Deer live in.
Also at Newquay Zoo to enhance the publics enjoyment of viewing and increase the porky popularity of the species, during a keeper talk on them, the keeper will hand out food for you to chuck in to them, so you can watch them root around and also squabble and gobble up their food. It is the best suid species experience I have encountered in a zoo.
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Wow, Warthogs sure are mixed with many other species....

So far, I've heard of exhibits with them plus yellow mongooses, meerkats, banded mongooses, bat eared foxes, and I think maybe an aardvark.
 
as far as enclosure design goes though the Bronx have nailed it on the head. there is not much else can be done in the way of innovative design, or is there? maybe the powers that be dont consider them worthy of imagination and investment in an exciting display. I have to say I do like to see pigs in amongst trees (species appropriate) and they go somewhat to keeping the ground solid by absorbing some of the water and their roots hold the clay together.
 
Was fortunate enough to have a chance to make a quick stop earlier this year at to the Uganda Wildlife Center (effectively the Kampala Zoo) where they have a giant forest hog exhibit. Not the fanciest exhibit in the world, but very large with bushes and some large trees at the back.

The hogs shared the exhibit with waterbuck, bohor reedbuck, bush duiker, and many ducks and geese. Pretty cool mix.
 
Vulpes said:
as far as enclosure design goes though the Bronx have nailed it on the head. there is not much else can be done in the way of innovative design, or is there? maybe the powers that be dont consider them worthy of imagination and investment in an exciting display. I have to say I do like to see pigs in amongst trees (species appropriate) and they go somewhat to keeping the ground solid by absorbing some of the water and their roots hold the clay together.
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Pigs do look alot better when they are under trees (warthogs excepted), but the plant life, particularly roots, does take a bashing. Interested to know just how much space the RRHs have in this enclosure at the Bronx, and whether all of the plants (thinking about the wonderful root systems in the photos) are actually real?

Pigs do make dynamic exhibits but they are definitely a tier or two below the showcase species. If a zoo doesn't have the big name attractions, then a good pig exhibit can be a highlight for the average visitor.
 
tetrapod said:
Pigs do look alot better when they are under trees (warthogs excepted), but the plant life, particularly roots, does take a bashing. Interested to know just how much space the RRHs have in this enclosure at the Bronx, and whether all of the plants (thinking about the wonderful root systems in the photos) are actually real?
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The red river hogs are confined to the lower level "dry streambed" portion of the mixed species exhibit they share with mandrills and DeBrazza monkeys. All of the roots imbedded in the riverbank and "growing" from the trees on the terrace above are artificial. Live trees growing in the space above the barrier mudbanks provide a lush, shaded canopy overhead and in the background, but are not accessible to the RRHs. There are pockets of grasses and shrubs on the same level as the pigs, but they are protected by disguised hotwires. The animals have access to lots of sandy substrate, deadfall branches and trunks, and streams and shallow pools.
 
One reason the Bronx Zoo RRH exhibits "works" is that the grade is raised so that the large indoor view shows them just below eye level. Much more of a "wow" opportunity than looking down into a pig pit
 
tetrapod said:
Pigs do make dynamic exhibits but they are definitely a tier or two below the showcase species. If a zoo doesn't have the big name attractions, then a good pig exhibit can be a highlight for the average visitor.
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How true. I really enjoy seeing them-and the bigger the group the more active and entertaining they become as they squabble or forage for food, or even play sometimes. And so more interesting to visitors too. But then I've always enjoyed watching domestic pigs too..;)
 
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