First Coast NewsJACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An infamous warthog at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is the proud father of three baby warthogs!
Mateo, who escaped from his enclosure during the Colors of the Wild event in 2024, is now the mature and proud father of two girls and one boy.
Mateo, the piglets and their mother are a part of the Species Survival Program, or SSP , says Curtis Dvorak with the zoo. Dvorak says that "this is a happy ending" to Mateo's story.
"All AZA-accredited (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) zoos are part of it," says Dvorak. "Basically, it's keeping a pure bloodline of warthogs in human care as their numbers continue to diminish out in the wild."
According to Dvorak, by simply paying for a ticket to the zoo, families are indirectly aiding conservation efforts.
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