Pumbaa would be very proud now that the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore has welcomed four warthog piglets.
"Females give birth to three piglets per litter on average, so Kumari's large litter was quite a surprise," says Meredith Wagoner, mammal collection and conservation manager at the Maryland Zoo. (Photo Courtesy of the Maryland Zoo)
Photo Courtesy of the Maryland Zoo
"During their first veterinary exam, the piglets weighed approximately 1.5 pounds each. Currently they weigh 2.5 pounds apiece," Wagoner says. (Photo Courtesy of the Maryland Zoo)
Photo Courtesy of the Maryland Zoo
Mother warthogs nurse and care for their offspring until they are about 21 weeks of age, at which point they have to fend for themselves. (Photo Courtesy of the Maryland Zoo)
WASHINGTON – Pumbaa would be very proud now that the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore has welcomed four warthog piglets. They were born April 4 to Kumari and Kijani, the zoo’s resident warthog couple.
The little ones were discovered by staff who had been on pregnancy watch for several weeks.
“Kumari is very protective of her litter and is doing a great job caring for her newborns,” says Meredith Wagoner, mammal collection and conservation manager at the zoo. “The three females and one male piglet are nursing regularly and appear to be thriving.”
All four are thriving and have already gained 1 pound. They will be on exhibit in mid-May once the weather gets warmer, the zoo says.
