First-time mom births hoglet at Colorado zoo. See baby smaller than its mama’s snout

An 8-year-old hog at a Colorado zoo welcomed her first baby, zoo officials said.

Finn, a red river hog, became a first-time mom on Aug. 29, according to a Sept. 4 news release by the Colorado Springs-based Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

The baby’s dad, Gus, and Finn were seen breeding by zookeepers, but they weren’t certain Finn had a baby on the way, the zoo said.

The baby is smaller than its mom’s snout, officials said.

“It may seem strange to some, but Red River hog babies are some of the cutest in the whole animal kingdom with their striped markings, tiny statures and energetic behaviors,” Amy Tuchman, senior keeper in African Rift Valley, said in the release. “Little one and mom seem to be doing great. We’re seeing a lot of nursing, napping and activity from the baby. It likes to climb over Finn’s face, and we’ve seen it jumping and running when it gets little bursts of energy. Finn is really sweet and patient with it.”

Finn has “embraced her hoglet with all of the key behaviors they want to see from a first-time mom,” officials said.

The zoo posted a video to its Facebook account of mama and baby bonding, the Sept. 4 video showed.

The baby is nursing normally, being cuddled by its mom in their indoor den, and getting the occasional “zoomies,” zookeepers said.

Zoo staff won’t handle the baby unless there’s a medical need, the release said. The new addition won’t be named for at least 30 days and the gender has yet to be identified.

Red river hogs have “signature bright orange coats,” but the newborns usually have white and brown stripes that run along their bodies with white and brown spots all over, officials said. These spots fade when they’re about 6 months old.

They are the smallest African pigs, growing to between 40 inches and 50 inches with a weight of 100 pounds to 285 pounds, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

This story was originally published September 5, 2024 at 2:13 PM with the headline "First-time mom births hoglet at Colorado zoo. See baby smaller than its mama’s snout."