Getting ‘pig-gy’ with it – double celebration for Durrell

Jersey Zoo’s brand-new home for their Visayan warty pigs Tré, Diosa, Babs and Penelope is now open. The new pig house opened to the public on Friday 14 February after a two-month period to allow the pigs to settle in their new home.

The new house boasts a large den and a series of stalls, all leading out to holding yards and a large paddock, which the pigs have wasted no time in thoroughly rotavating.

The Critically Endangered* Visayan warty pigs are one of Jersey Zoo’s many threatened species. Once found across several of the Visayan islands in the Philippines, sadly warty pigs are now only found on two – Panay and Negros. Habitat destruction to make room for housing and agriculture drove the pigs out of their habitat and farmers view them as pests, so they were actively hunted on many islands.

This week, Durrell is also celebrating the 30th anniversary of their work in India with the endangered pygmy hog. Once thought to be extinct, the world’s smallest pig is also one of the most threatened mammals on Earth.

Found only in the tall grasslands of Assam in India, the pygmy hog was rediscovered in 1971 when a group was found sheltering from a grassland fire in a neighbouring tea plantation. Since the 1970s, Durrell has been working in Assam to save pygmy hogs from extinction through captive breeding and release programmes and grassland restoration and management. Between 1996 and 2024, Durrell has enabled the birth of 877 pygmy hogs in captivity and has released hogs into four protected grasslands of Assam to help establish wild populations.

Commenting on both of these milestones, Rebecca Brewer, CEO at Durrell commented: “After a two-month settling in period we are delighted to be able to welcome visitors to see Tré, Diosa, Babs and Penelope in their new home. This new house gives the pigs more outdoor space to roam, as well as provides more opportunity for our visitors to get up close with the species. Not only has this house opened in time for February half-term but also coincides with our 30th anniversary of working with the world’s smallest pig, the pygmy hog. Our conservation breeding and reintroduction programme with this species was the first of its kind in India and one we are incredibly proud of. Through our work over the last 30 years, we have helped establish a wild population for this incredibly rare pig and provided them with a future.”

In March this year, Durrell is hosting its first ever Founder’s Trek, where 20 daring and dedicated individuals will walk 60km starting at Gerald Durrell’s birthplace in West Bengal and finishing in the tall grasslands of Assam, home of the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme. The expedition includes hiking and camping within sight of the world’s third highest mountain, Kanchenjunga, with a unique behind-the-scenes insight into Durrell’s vital wildlife conservation work. Funds raised from this trek will go towards continuing Durrell’s work in Assam. You can find out more about this expedition, including how to support by visiting durrell.org/trek.

The Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme is a collaborative effort between Durrell, IUCN/SSC Wild Pig Specialist Group, Assam Forest Department, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, EcoSystems-India, and Aaranyak.

The new pig house at Jersey Zoo was funded with support from the Government of Jersey’s Fiscal Stimulus Fund.

*According to IUCN Red List.