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Zoo celebrates first warthog birth in 100 years
Evening Standard04.07.08
The first baby warthog in nearly 100 years has been born at London Zoo.
Harry the hog is captivating visitors at the Into Africa exhibit, snoozing between his mother Azizla and father Little Vern.
Gerald Asher, senior keeper of Mammals North, said it was the zoo's first warthog family.
He said: "Azizla is very protective of Harry. At first Little Vern couldn't get near, but now they both take turns to be with him. According to our records Harry is the first warthog baby born at the zoo in nearly 100 years - so he is a very special piglet."
Keepers named the new arrival after Harry Potter because the wizard's school, Hogwarts, is nearly warthog backwards.
The piglet isn't the first Potter at the zoo. In 2000 the Burmese python scene for Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone was filmed there, an occasion commemorated by a plaque inside the reptile house.
