Welcome back to our channel! We're very excited to share
a new series called Safari self-drive. Most people will be familiar with being
on a safari game drive in an open top safari vehicle, driven by a safari guide
and sometimes accompanied by a tracker to assist with tracking and spotting game.
Join us as we explore various national game reserves around Southern Africa
on a safari self-drive. Towards the end of each video
we introduce you to a moment of zen, which we think you'll enjoy!
Being in the bush between spring and summer is always a treat
with most species having birthed young, there are a lot of cute sightings to be enjoyed.
In this episode we happened upon a warthog mom and her three little piglets.
They're very boisterous bouncing around and rough-housing
These little piglets are only a couple of weeks old!
Female warthogs will have an average of four piglets after a five to six month
gestation period.
After about 10 days they will be allowed to leave the burrow to start exploring.
As you can see warthogs are grazers eating grasses, plants berries, and bark.
They also use their snouts to dig up roots and bulbs.
This little guy is doing somersaults!
She looks like she's catching a quick nap while they grab a quick meal!
The mother will wean them at three months.
Warthogs have specially adapted protective pads on their wrists
that allow them to kneel down to feed. Thanks to their short necks and relatively
long legs, it's far easier for them to kneel while grazing than it would be for other grazers.
Notice that their eyes sit high on their heads.
This is so that they can spot predators even while grazing.
While their eyesight may be quite poor,
they have an excellent sense of smell and are able to sniff out food and detect predators.
Mom does not stop grazing while the piglets suckle,
she has to maintain her food intake to keep up with her suckling babies.
Interestingly the name warthog comes from their large wart-like protuberances on their face.
Technically they're not warts but rather they are made of bone and cartilage.
The male, or boar, has two pairs of these warts and the female, or sow, has one pair.
As we leave mom with her suckling pigs grazing on it's time for your moment of zen.
Thank you for watching!
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