Swine Time Pig Races

Greetings friends! This week we are talking to you about the Swine Time Pig Races at Timbavati Wildlife Park. I have to admit to you, I had never heard of pig racing prior to my first trip to Timbavati so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got there. What i found was pleasantly surprising.

If you’re old enough to remember the Norm McDonald news sketches on SNL, then imagine that same type of dry humor but attached to pigs racing (If you’re not old enough to remember Norm or know what SNL is, don’t worry we have ponies). Ok I’m kidding but seriously, it’s a comedy show with pork-filled punchlines and the swiftest swine this side of the saharan sands and believe me there are more hogs than you can count in between here and there.

Keeping with our weekly theme of fun facts on animals, it is widely accepted that pigs have intelligence equivalent to a 3 year old child. They are very social creatures and communicate with each other through grunts and while forming very close bonds to each other and humans.

Pigs are omnivores and will eat both meat and plants. As you would expect, pigs have an excellent sense of smell. Their snouts are very strong and are used to turn dirt over when seeking a meal. In this respect they are excellent at turning dirt over and prepping the soil to receive plant seeds. They are an integral part of seed spreading as their migrations in the wild transport seeds from plants that they have eaten.

Pigs have very few sweat glands, for this reason they seek mud to remain cool in. A pig’s squeal is quite loud and has been measured as high as 115 decibels. For comparison, a rock concert at 110 decibels would probably send you home with ringing in your ears. Most concerts top out at 105 decibels. A pic can recognize its name being called when they’re 2 weeks old which means there really quick learners.

Our pig races are a great time at Timbavati Wildlife Park. We run them daily and you can check our website for showtimes. In the meantime, here is our good friend Matt with a quick overview of our pig races in this video.