Welcome Tikiti!
Utah’s Hogle Zoo welcomes 1-year-old female warthog, Tikiti
Utah’s Hogle Zoo is excited to welcome the newest resident to African Savanna: a 1-year-old female warthog named Tikiti (pronounced tee-KEE-tee). Her name, which means ‘watermelon’ in Swahili, reflects her bright and sweet nature.
Tikiti arrived from Dallas Zoo as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) breeding recommendation with our resident male warthog, Swifty (6). You can easily distinguish Tikiti from Swifty by her smaller size and shorter tusks. Additionally, Tikiti is often seen with her tail twisting and flipping in motion.
Since her arrival, Tikiti has been getting to know her new care team and participating in training sessions. She has also begun the introduction process with Swifty. This process, called “howdies,” involves both warthogs being in the same areas but separated by barriers to familiarize themselves with each other’s scents. These introductions will continue through barriers until both warthogs feel comfortable sharing space face-to-face.
As Tikiti has only shared a habitat with other warthogs, she’s learning how to live in a mixed-species habitat, meeting Hogle Zoo’s giraffes, zebras, guineafowl, and ostrich. Guests can expect to see different animals at different times in African Savanna as these introductions progress.
As Tikiti’s confidence and comfortability with her habitat-mates grows, you may see expected behaviors that our animal care team keeps a close eye on, like chasing, running, or vocalizations.
Guests may see Tikiti in African Savanna as she gets acquainted with her new habitat mates. Stay tuned for more updates!
Utah's Hogle Zoo
