Cuteness Alert: Baby “Figlets” were recently born at the San Diego Zoo, and caught playing in their muddy homes Wednesday morning.
Fig, the mother of SD Zoo’s first pair of North Sulawesi Babirusa piglets gave birth to the dynamic duo on Sept 6. The baby piglets have been given the nickname “figlets” by Zoo members for the pigs to easily be recognized as Fig's babies.
The pair has started to explore solid foods and is regularly nursing throughout the day. “Fig is taking great care of her piglets. They’ve been having a lot of fun interacting with their mom and getting in the way when she’s trying to eat,” senior keeper Victoria Girdler said.
The zoo plans to reintroduce the babies with their father, Jethro, once they have reached about 4 months old.
Commercial logging and the destruction of the animal’s habitat in Indonesia have put the species on the endangered list.
The animals have been categorized as “Vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, with current threats to their survival being more severe than ever.
Bringing species back from the verge of extinction is the goal of San Diego Zoo Global.
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Zoo guests are welcomed to visit the “figlets” on the Tiger Trail starting at 9 a.m. daily.
