MIAMI – Zoo Miami announced Friday the birth of four warthogs.
The baby warthogs, three males and one female, were born June 20.
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Zoo Miami spokesman Ron Magill said in a news release that Friday was the first time zoo staff were able to temporarily separate the mother from her newborns for a few minutes to successfully perform a neonatal exam on each of the warthogs.
The exam confirmed the warthogs' sex and indicated that they each appear to be healthy and developing well.
Magill said the 3-year-old mother is from the Indianapolis Zoo and the 3-year-old father is from San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
The warthogs are the first offspring for both parents, and it is the second successful birth of warthogs at Zoo Miami.
The first occurred in 1995.
Magill said the mother warthog will "remain off exhibit with her piglets for several days to ensure that they have bonded properly and are well acclimated to their surroundings prior to going on public display."
Warthogs, made famous by Pumba in Disney's "The Lion King," are found in much of sub-Saharan Africa.
The animals are not naturally aggressive, but are able to protect themselves with large, powerful tusks, which they typically use to tear up the ground in search of roots and grubs and to establish dominance between them.