Plan Your Visit to Edinburgh Zoo
We are open every day of the year, including Christmas Day, from 9am until:
| 6.00pm | April - Sept. |
| 5.00pm | Oct. & March |
| 4.30pm | Nov. - Feb. |
How you can help
The natural world needs our help...and we need yours! Please consider making a donation to support our conservation, education and research work, both within our parks and across the world.
Zoo News
Three little pigs hog the limelight at Edinburgh Zoo
30 June 2010 - Keepers at Edinburgh Zoo are celebrating the birth of three male red
river hog piglets. Born on 6 June 2010, red river hogs have been at Edinburgh Zoo since 2004 and
this is the second year they have bred successfully.
The piglets named Ellis, Moses and Nelson after stadiums in South Africa featured in the FIFA World Cup 2010 (Ellis Park, Moses Mabhida and Nelson Mandela), were born to proud parents Belle and Hamish. Currently the piglets have yellow and brown stripy coats but when they mature they will look very different. Adult red river hogs have a shaggy red coat, with a tufted white stripe running the length of their back. They also have long black and white tassels of hair hanging from each ear.
Sue Gaffing, Head Keeper of Hoofstock at Edinburgh Zoo, said:
“We are delighted that for a second year our adult pair has produced piglets. At almost a
month old they are really playful and have been chasing each other around their enclosure. At this
age they are particularly cute so it’s a really good to see them.”
Red river hogs can be found throughout western and central Africa, living in wet habitats like
swamps and marshes. In the wild, they are hunted by leopards, lions, hyenas and pythons. Humans
also hunt them for bush meat, leading to a declining population.
For further info and images:
Clara Govier, Communications Officer 0131 314 0312
Editor’s Notes
• Red river hogs have a mixed diet, including bulbs, fruit and insects.
• Both the male and female have tusks, the upper set is small but the lower tusks are
long and extremely sharp. The main difference between the male and female is that the male is
slightly larger and has lumps on either side of its snout.
• The animals can cause extensive damage to agricultural crops as they tear up
vegetation when they forage for food.
• Red river hogs are good swimmers and fast runners, which come is in handy when they
are trying to escape from predators.
• They live in “sounders” of between two and fifteen females with one dominant male. The
dominant male can be protective towards his harem and they fight by butting heads and whipping each
other with their tails.
• The lifespan of the red river hog is around 20 years.
• Hamish is four years old and arrived from Salzburg Zoo in 2006. Belle is six years old
and came to us from Landau Zoo in Germany.
• Edinburgh Zoo is a member of the British and Irish Association of Birds and Aquariums
(BIAZA).
• Edinburgh Zoo is owned by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, a registered
charity, charity no SC004064.
Keep up with all the latest news: