“Ugliest pigs on earth” popular among keepers in London Zoo

London, UK | XINHUA | “The ugliest pigs on earth” have proved to be popular among keepers after arriving at London Zoo, according to the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).

The ZSL said its keepers have been “squealing with delight” over the arrival of the zoo’s first “demon pigs” and plan to rally support from the public to share their new found love for the unique-looking pigs, reputed to be “the ugliest on earth”.

The hairless pair of babirusa pigs, named Budi and Beth, have won the hearts of zookeepers who have likened them to creatures from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books.

“With their wrinkly grey skin and long wet snouts no one could call babirusa pigs beautiful…people who live alongside them in Indonesia call them rat pigs or demon pigs, because of their long, misshapen tusks — which are actually teeth growing through their noses that curl backwards,” said Zookeeper Hannah Joy.

As part of a vital international breeding program for species classified as vulnerable in the wild, the babirusa pigs arrived at the zoo in July and spent their first few weeks settling into their dens, before starting to venture outside into their new paddock this week.

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