Common name: Red River Hog
Scientific name: Potamochoerus porcus 

Conservation Status: Least Concern

At the zoo: Bomu (male), and 3 females: Volta, Dja, and Giri - all siblings, 12 years old; you can find them on the south end of the zoo between the red foxes and onager.

Habitat:
Red River Hogs are found in east-central Africa. Their natural habitats are rainforests, gallery forests, and moist savannah woodlands where dense vegetation occurs.

Diet:
Red River Hogs are not picky eaters. They eat roots, berries, fruit, small mammal, reptiles, young bird eggs, and sometimes carrion.

Median Life Expectancy:
15 years

Biology:
Red River Hogs have bright red/orange fur and are the most strikingly coloured of all wild pigs. They have large wedged-shaped heads, long, pointed ears with prominent tufts, white spectacles around the eyes, and long white whiskers. Their teeth form tusks and they use their long, strong snouts to find food.

As one of the most hunted species in the Congo Basin, the main threat to this species are humans. Red River Hogs are hunted for their meat as well as being persecuted by farmers as an agricultural pest.

Fun Fact:
Did you know that groups of Red River Hogs are called "Sounders"?