Newquay Zoo celebrates rare Visayan warty piglets' birth

The zoo said the piglets' striped coat, which acted as camouflage, would fade as they matured

A critically endangered species of pig has given birth to two piglets at a zoo in Cornwall.

The Visayan warty piglets, yet to be named, were born at Newquay Zoo.

Their parents, May and Randy, are part of a breeding programme to boost numbers.

A zoo spokesperson said the species lives in the forests of the Philippines, where there could be as few as 200 animals left.

The pigs at Newquay Zoo are part of a breeding programme designed to boost numbers

"Habitat destruction, over-hunting for sport, reprisals for raids on crops and inadequate protection, have all resulted in the dramatic decline and near extinction of the warty pig in the wild," they said.

"Warty pigs get their unusual name from the three pairs of warts that male pigs have on their faces to protect them when fighting.

"Males also grow impressive manes during the mating season."

The zoo said the piglets' striped coat, which acts as camouflage, would fade as they matured.