Escondido, California - Five, three-week-old red river hog babies crowded after their mother earlier today at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The piglets are still nursing from their mother but are beginning to eat solid foods and were seen nibbling on bits of leafy browse offered to them today.

Young red river hogs differ from adults in their striped markings.  This coloration helps them blend into their habitat in sub-Saharan Africa. Red river hogs get their name from their behavior of wallowing in ponds and streams and the color of their coat when they mature. Also called bush pigs, the species is found in African rain forests.  In recent years, their population appears to be affected by hunting.

Bringing species back from the brink of extinction is the goal of San Diego Zoo Global. As a leader in conservation, the work of San Diego Zoo Global includes onsite wildlife conservation efforts (representing both plants and animals) at the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, as well as international field programs on six continents.  The work of these entities is inspiring children through the San Diego Zoo Kids network, reaching out through the Internet and in children’s hospitals nationwide.  The work of San Diego Zoo Global is made possible by the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy and is supported in part by the Foundation of San Diego Zoo Global.