Alex Trelinski
TWO warthogs affectionately called the ‘Pumbaa’ breed in recognition of the character in the ‘Lion King’ movie and stage show have become new residents at Bioparc Valencia.
The two young specimens are included on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List.
The female named Kwini is 15 months old and comes from Germany’s Osnabruck zoo while the two-year old male, called Zacarias, has travelled from Zlin Lesna zoo in the Czech republic.
The animal care team has focused on making sure they assimilate well to their new surroundings which appears to have gone very well so far.
The two warthogs are getting on well with each other and the size difference between the two is striking, with Zacarias being much larger.
The aim is to get the new pair to hook up with a much older couple that have lived at the Bioparc since 2008.
Both Masango and Dalia are aged 16 years- well above normal life expectancy- and have bred several times which is good news for the species preservation programme.
The warthogs appear during the afternoons in an enclosure in the savannah area of the park which includes a termite mound.
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