Wilma (right) and Bertello (left). (Image: Riverbanks Zoo)
Columbia, SC (WLTX) - A male pig at the Riverbanks Zoo now has a little female companionship.
The zoo announced that they've acquired Wilma, a two-and-a-half year old swine. She'd a female babirusa, which is a rare, tusked animal native to Indonnesia.
She'll be paired with Bertello, a male of the same species who's been at the zoo since February 2011.
Wilma comes to Riverbanks from the St. Louis Zoo.
"We are excited to finally have a suitable match for Bertello," said John Davis, curator of mammals at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. "Since her arrival at Riverbanks, keepers have been gradually introducing Wilma to her new home and after a six month adjustment period, she and Bertello are now ready to go on exhibit as a pair."
"Babirusa," zoo officials say, is a Maylasian term meaning deer-pig.
Males of the specials can be recognized by their long, protruding tusks, while female tusks are shorter and typically not visible.
Babirusas are known to be gifted swimmers.
Wilma and Bertello can be seen on exhibit daily adjacent to the African Bird Yard during normal zoo hours.