A kunekune pig from New Zealand (Photo: Ryan Hawk)

A Red, White & Zoo Weekend Pig Out is in the Works

A kunekune pig from New Zealand (Photo: Ryan Hawk)

The Woodland Park Zoo has been pigging out lately, first with Visayan warty pigs and warthogs, now with a pair of new kunekune pigs from New Zealand named Baxter and Barkley. Glance again at the photo and you will not be surprised to learn that “kunekune” means “fat and round” in Māori. The short-legged, short-snouted, and pot-bellied pigs, says the zoo, “are known to be very friendly, sociable, and intelligent and thrive on human company.”

The kunekune duo have their zoo debut during the annual Red, White & Zoo celebration, held at the zoo from June 30 to July 1 this year. The Zoo animals take a break from feeding-time routine with a menu of Fourth of July-themed treats–star-shaped popsicles, watermelon, corn on the cob and “other picnic fare”–which is supposed to “enrich the lives of the zoo’s animals, promote natural animal behavior, keep animals mentally stimulated, and engage zoo visitors.”

Drop in each day from 10 a.m. to about 3 p.m. for the mental stimulation of seeing an otter or orangutan feast like it’s the Fourth. It may not be quite as stimulating at the Pike Place Fish Market guys’ experience, tossing to grizzlies–look at the wary eye they keep on where the bears are: