ATLANTA — The 7-week-old warthog piglets at Zoo Atlanta are exploring their habitat in the African Savanna. This week marks their first forays into the area since their birth on April 13, 2021.
The piglets’ time in the habitat is primarily determined by their mother, Eleanor, who is an excellent first-time parent and fiercely protective of her offspring.
While there is no guarantee of seeing the piglets, lucky Zoo Atlanta members and guests may enjoy sightings, which should increase as the group adjusts to their new surroundings over the next few weeks.
The piglets, all females, have no names yet. Next, they will be having new milestones, including the opportunity to see their father, Hamlet, who has yet to meet the piglets. Eleanor and Hamlet’s piglets are their first litter.
Warthogs are native to Sub-Saharan Africa and are currently widespread in the wild, but populations are declining due to drought, desertification, and human-caused habitat loss and fragmentation. They are highly resilient animals that are more adaptable to human activities than most other mammals in their grasslands ecosystem.
African elephants, giraffes, zebras, ostriches, meerkats, and southern white rhinos have new habitats at the zoo’s African Savanna.
In 2021, the warthog piglets will join a slew of other exciting new additions to Zoo Atlanta. An Angolan colobus infant, twin golden lion tamarins, a crowned lemur infant, a hooded vulture chick, golden-breasted starling chicks, a tawny frogmouth chick, and a lappet-faced vulture chick are among the other zoo babies.
Zoo Atlanta is open daily. Masks are recommended for general admission and required for children aged two and up for specific optional in-zoo experiences such as giraffe feeding, the Treetop Trail presented by Kaiser Permanente, and all education programs, including Wild Encounters.