NC Zoo breaks record with addition of 6 critically endangered piglets
The North Carolina Zoo has welcomed six new residents: Visayan warty piglets, helping boost the small number of the critically endangered animals.
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And they have a cool hairdo.
The six pigs will be some of the animals on display at the long-awaited Asia exhibit, which opens next year at the zoo. There are just 30 of the pigs in zoos across the United States, and only an estimated 200 pigs live in the wild on two islands in the Philippines.
“This is a remarkable example of the little miracles happening every day across our Zoo,” said Zoo Director and CEO Mark Penning in a news release. “We are committed to working together with other accredited zoos and aquariums around the world to protect wildlife and wild places for generations to come. Every visit to our Zoo helps support that mission.”
The animals can grow to be 3 feet tall, usually gray, and, during breeding season, the male pigs grow a 9-inch mohawk that travels from their head to their tail.
Seven-year-old Makaio fathered four piglets with 8-year-old Buddy, the first piglets to be born in the United States in four years and the largest litter on record. Two more piglets were fathered by Makaio with Shy, a second-time mom, according to the news release. There will be nine pigs in the sounder, or herd, when the zoo opens.
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“As we are busy with preparations to open the new Asia, the animal residents within the region have been equally busy — adjusting to their new habitats, building trust with caregivers and even putting down roots in the heart of North Carolina,” according to a post from the Zoo’s Facebook page.
The Asia exhibit opens at noon March 1, 2027, and it’s the first major expansion of the zoo since 1994.
This 12.5-acre exhibit is anticipated to bring 6,000 new plants and 50 new species to the zoo, including:
This story was originally published October 15, 2026 at 6:11 PM with the headline “NC Zoo breaks record with addition of 6 critically endangered piglets.”
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