Chemnitz Zoo: Multiple offspring among the mini pigs
Last week, on 4 October, the mini pigs at the Chemnitz Zoo farm in the Ore Mountains gave birth. The Göttingen mini pig Bärbel gave birth to seven piglets. This is Bärbel's fourth offspring - and the second this year. In April there were four piglets. The father is Eber Ehrmann, who is currently housed separately from the sow and piglets in the neighbouring enclosure.
Domestic pigs have a gestation period of three months, three weeks and three days, i.e. a total of around 112 to 114 days. As with their wild relatives - the wild boar - birth is preceded by the construction of a nest-like lair in which the piglets spend the first few weeks. They are suckled for three to four months. Due to the unstable temperatures, the piglets often remain in the barn, but can also be seen by visitors.
The domestic pig breed "Göttingen mini pig" was bred in the early 1960s through targeted crossbreeding at the University of Göttingen. The aim was to create a particularly small breed of pig specifically for experimental purposes, as humans and pigs are physiologically very similar. Mini pigs are now also very popular as pets, which is why there is a greater variety of colours. In the breeding population at the University of Göttingen, however, care is taken to ensure that the animals are pure white in colour.
Opening hours of the zoo and wildlife park in October:
Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., last admission 4 p.m.
www.tierpark-chemnitz.de