BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Everyone loves Fridays, but last Friday was extra special for the dedicated team at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport.
For the first time since April 2022, a piglet was born at the zoo. In fact, five Guinea hog piglets joined the farmyard family during the early evening of Aug. 2, according to a release from the zoo’s staff.
Four of the piglets are female, while the other is male. All five were born to Ethel, their mother, and Harry Plopper, their father.
The release said that Guinea hog piglets have a reputation for their incredible early development. They are often born with their eyes open and can usually move around immediately.
The zoo said its newest additions are full of energy and have shown great curiosity as they explore their surroundings.
“We are thrilled to welcome these piglets to our zoo family. (They’re) an endangered species, so we are also very pleased and proud to support their population,” Zoo Director Gregg Dancho said in the release. “Watching them grow and interact is a wonderful experience for our visitors and the staff.”
According to the release, the public is invited to observe the five piglets and their mother in the farmyard, as they are “delighting guests with their playful antics.”
The release goes on to list a variety of fun facts about Guinea hogs, which are large and square-bodied with bristly red hair. While they naturally have long tails and pointed ears, today they are domesticated to be smaller and often have black hair.
The animals can grow to a height of 21-24 inches and weigh between 150 and 300 pounds.
“They have an advanced sense of taste and can quickly identify objects by tasting them. They are quick learners and have a substantial memory,” the release said. “They are hardy grazers and foragers. They eat shrubs, weeds, bird eggs, snakes, mice, grasshoppers, roots, tubers and even manure.”
According to the release, as a domesticated species, the Guinea hogs are classified as threatened by the Livestock Conservancy.
For more information about upcoming zoo events, one can click here.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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