WHAT is small, ginger, cute and has a very curly tail?
Well, if you guessed piglet, you guessed the correct answer!
We have some very exciting news this week: the arrival of five adorable Tamworth piglets. Born just last week the piglets are less than a week old and are being very well looked after by their mum.
The Lake District Wildlife Park have housed and bred generations of Tamworth pigs for many years. The sow that has just given birth to this litter is the great granddaughter of one of the original sows that lived at the Park many years ago.
Tamworth pigs are gentle in nature, but a tough hardy breed that can withstand cold climates.
For this reason, they are kept and bred in countries like Scotland and Canada where they can survive the cold. However, when the sun does shine it is their distinctive ginger coat that protects them from sunburn.
Tamworth Pigs are thought to be Britain’s oldest pure breed of pig. They are classed as a priority breed by the Rare Breed Survival Trust. This means they are one of the species that the Trust is working hard to conserve for the future.
The Trust’s mission is to 'reverse the decline of all livestock breeds on the watchlist'.
They aim to have stable populations of rare breeds and are creating conservation plans for those on the priority list.
As the piglets get older the distinctive characteristics of the mature adults will become more prominent. They have pricked pointy ears, a dished face, and a long pointy snout.
This snout is very effective for digging and if you need any land cleared, the Tamworth pig is the perfect animal for the job.
However if you just want to see an extremely cute animal, come and see them while they are still small!
The Tamworth piglets at the Park, are currently staying close to mum and not venturing too far. They are doing a lot of suckling and sleeping!
However, it won’t be very long at all before they are running around, squealing, and playing with each other. Watching piglets chasing each other around their enclosure is a great way to spend some time.
If you need cheering up, come and watch a piglet playing with its siblings!
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