NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The first thing we learned about the Red River Hogs is they can be quite sociable. As a matter of fact, they’ll even come to you if you call them.
“They’re pretty interactive with the public as long as people are talking to them, especially if you know their names, Tater, Truffle, and Wilber,” exclaimed Morgan Fontenot, Nashville Zoo Hoofstock Keeper.
“A lot of times they are napping, but if you call them, they pretty much always come up. Especially when keepers come out with peanuts, they are always ready for you up here at the viewing.”
They have three Red River Hogs at the zoo. Tater and Truffle are young females. And Wilber, being the old man of the group is the calmest of the three.
“Wilber is quite gentle,” Fontenot said. “He really loves scratches from us keepers. He’s pretty gentle. But our girls, being as they still have their youth area a little bit more energetic than he is. So, they are always running around. Training is really fun because they are just so motivated and they really want snacks.”
Their diet at the zoo consists of plant foods such as grass hay, as well as produce. But they even like a few special condiments with their food.
“So, they really like smears, like ketchup, bar-b-que sauce, and honey,” Fontenot pointed out. “Tonight, they’re going to get some chickpeas.”
And they show their intelligence through their play.
“They really love to play with toys because they really are quite intelligent,” Fontenot said. “Just as all pigs are, really.”
Meanwhile, Fontenot wants you to know just how easy they are to work with.
“These guys are so readily interactive with us that it’s really not hard to get to know them if you’ve got snacks,” Fontenot noted. “Some other hoofstock can take just a little bit more time to warm up with you. They’re really easy when we have new keepers come on to the team, they’ll do anything for anyone. As long as you’ve got the snacks!”
The snacks sound pretty good to us, as well!
News 2 has partnered with Nashville Zoo to bring you weekly segments of Zoopalooza. You can watch them on News 2 on Good Morning Nashville on Saturday and right here on WKRN.com.
