Red River Hogs

Species: Red River Hogs
Habitat: African Jungle
Status: Least Concerned / Not Endangered
DAK Locale: Animal Kingdom Lodge - Kidani Village (Sunset Savannah)

image copyright Disney

The first thing one notices about Red River Hogs is the color. Their rusty red color is very distinctive especially for members of the pig family. The hogs themselves are sometimes referred to as bushpigs. The black and white markings stand out amongst the red. Unlike other wild pigs, the tusks are nearly invisible.

Red River Hogs have a varied diet, eating everything from grasses and berries to insects and mollusks. They will use their tusks to root out tubers. They will even eat carrion. The hogs live in the African rain forest, and particularly stick close to rivers and swamps and are good swimmers. They are generally nocturnal (although in the peaceful environment of Kidani Village, these things don't always hold true).

The hogs live in small groups led by a dominant boar. The boar is accompanied by a group of females and their piglets. In total, the groups rarely exceed twenty in number. The piglets are distinctive for their striped patterns. It is believed this coloring makes it difficult to spot the animals in the broken light of the jungle underbrush. If a predator is around, the piglets will hide and stay as motionless as possible no matter how close the hunter gets.

At Walt Disney World, the red river hogs are found at Kidani Village at the Sunset Savannah which is can be seen near the Maji pool bar. They are in the same exhibits as the okapi. The hogs are generally out early in the day. Recently, the hogs here have been using a new mud wallow (a preferred way to cool down in the florida heat) near where can guests can watch.