Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3_QBNjFkHw

Watch Three Adorable Little Piglets Being Born at Animal Sanctuary

Watching three beautiful little piglets being born isn’t something you see every day, so when we realized that Rosa one of our rescued pigs at Mino Valley Farm Sanctuary was pregnant, we knew we were in for a treat!

Getting Ready for the Birth

Preparing for any birth at the sanctuary is stressful as you never know when it’s going to happen and if everything will go to plan. Thankfully with pigs you get a little prewarning, as they always start to prepare their nest exactly 24 hours before they go into labor.

With this in mind we cut Rosa some branches and collected her some bracken from the forest so she could easily construct her nest with minimal effort. As her belly grew bigger with each passing day we knew she was going to give birth soon, but it wasn’t until we noticed that she had started carrying her nest building materials into her house that it was imminent.

Once she got to work, she built what can only be described as the Fort Knox of nests. The walls were meticulously fashioned, and completely impenetrable. Like any good mother, she wanted the best for her babies.

The Babies Are Here!

Just as expected, 24 hours later Rosa went into labor and before long the first piglet was born. It was a little girl, and she was out and about heading to meet her mom in no time. Not long after the next baby arrived, this time a little boy with a pink nose and brown stripes. He was shortly followed by his sister, who had little white socks.

Normally pigs give birth to around four to seven babies so we anticipated more were on the way. When they didn’t arrive we got a little panicked, but our fears were premature.

Once the birth was over and the three little piglets were all cleaned up, they headed straight for the milk and spent the next few hours feeding and nodding off, then waking up and doing it all over again.

Unlike a lot of other babies, piglets can see and hear at birth, and they start to walk within a few minutes of being born. They quickly find their mother’s teats, often with some gentle nudging and encouragement from mom.

The mom and her piglets use various vocalizations when it comes to feeding time, and newborn piglets will recognize and respond to their mother’s voice when she calls them to suckle.

Watch Rosa giving birth and see the babies experiencing the world for the first time in the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3_QBNjFkHw

Growing Up and Family Bonds

For the first few weeks after giving birth, mother pigs are very protective and they only leave the nest on short foraging missions to get supplies and stretch their legs. This period of time is essential for developing a strong bond with her babies.

The piglets soon start to follow mom out of the nest, rooting and playing as they go, but never straying too far. If they get separated for any reason, the piglets will call with distinct vocalizations, and the mom will respond urgently until they can find each other and everyone is reunited again.

Here at the sanctuary the pigs are able to carry out all these natural behaviors, and witnessing them growing and connecting as a family is truly a blessing. We are incredibly lucky to be able to see them happy and free, knowing that they will get to spend the rest of their lives together.

Filed under: GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, VIDEOS |