Faces only a mother could love
Their names are Kirby and Cecil, and they don’t have tusks — yet. The newest arrivals to the Maryland Zoo, two male warthog piglets, made their first public debut at seven weeks.
Though they were part of the same litter, the warthog twins are easy to tell apart: Kirby is big brother, with a slightly larger build and red hair, while Cecil remains petite and brunette.
The twins, with mother Kumari leading the way, explored their new home in the warthog yard. Mother made sure they didn’t hoof it too far afield.
“They may try to get a little too far,” says the Maryland Zoo’s Jane Ballentine. “But [Kumari] gives a snort and they’ll come running back. They follow their mother very, very closely.”
Kumari may feel a little over protective until she and her baby boys settle into their new exhibition routine.
“They are afternoon piggies, they’re on exhibit after 1pm,” reports Ballentine. “The father [Kajani] has run of the exhibit until noon. The mornings are a little too busy for mom, in the afternoon she’s much more calm and it’s easier for the little guys to get out and explore the exhibit.”
For their part, the twins are just happy to run.
“From what I’ve seen, they’re both crazy little pigs,” Ballentine says. “One will chase the other, they take turns egging each other on.”
The romps will have to burn off their youthful exuberance for a few more weeks. Warthogs don’t become mature members of the pack until 21 weeks old, at which point the zoo keepers will decide if the boys are ready to meet their father and stay out all day.