AssetID: 55041383
Headline: Adorable Red River Hoglets Born At Banham Zoo
Caption: **VIDEO AVAILABLE: CONTACT INFO@COVERMG.COM TO RECEIVE** There’s baby joy at Banham Zoo’s Africa Alive exhibit following the birth of two incredibly cute red river hog piglets, affectionately referred to as “hoglets” by their keepers. The pair were born in the early hours of July 31, 2025, and are already thriving under the attentive care of their mother, Rebecca. Father, Kinshasa (fondly known as “Biglet”), together with Rebecca’s sister, Rosie, has also been keeping a watchful eye on the new arrivals, demonstrating the close-knit nature of the group. Red river hog piglets are born with a dark, striped coat that provides excellent camouflage in the wild. This distinctive pattern gives them a markedly different appearance from the striking red coat and long white ear tufts that characterise the adults. River hog piglets weigh between 650g and 900g at birth. That’s less than a guinea pig! They will reach full size at around two years old. When startled, red river hog piglets will freeze or ‘play dead’, using their camouflage to remain undetected. As they grow, they become very fast runners to escape danger. Zoe Nunn, Animal Manager at Africa Alive, said, “We are thrilled with the birth of the two little piglets. Rebecca is being a very good mum, with Kinshasa and Rosie also helping out. Although this is the second litter to be born at Africa Alive, the last litter were back in 2020 and have since gone off to other zoos. The piglets are now starting to get braver and can be seen running around exploring their paddock.” The piglets are now out in the paddock on occasions throughout the day. They can be seen following mum around, snuffling up the dirt and having the occasional run around. They will lie down for a snooze with Rebecca, Rosie and Kinshasa close by.
Keywords: feature, photo, video, hoglets, pigs, hogs, animals, nature, natural world
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