The never-before-seen footage, captured at here, is at the heart of a Channel 4 series, The Secret Life of The Zoo.
The tiny male piglet, named Bukaan, arrived to mum Kendari, four, following a five-month-long pregnancy.
Dr Mark Pilgrim, our director general, said:
Very few people in the world, if any, will have ever witnessed a babirusa give birth. To be able to watch, for the very first time, those incredible tender first moments between mum and baby is very, very special indeed.
The footage is truly unique and some of the information we can learn from it may be really helpful in terms of the conservation breeding of the endangered species in the future.
Babirusa are found on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia where their numbers have plummeted to an estimated 5,000 individuals. The species was once thought to be reasonably common but a history of hunting for their meat and destruction of their habitat has seen them largely disappear from some areas of Sulawesi.
Tim Rowlands, curator of mammals, added:
When Kendari’s new piglet grows up he will sport a face full of twisted tusks, a large wet snout, warts and will be almost completely hairless, just like his dad, Sausu. But looks aren’t everything! This species is incredibly special and he’s ever such as important new arrival.
Babirusa are under huge pressure in Sulawesi. They’re vulnerable to extinction and Kendari’s latest piglet is a significant addition to the world’s population.
As their survival in the wild is put at risk, zoo breeding programmes are an important way of ensuring the species does not die out altogether. We are one of only a handful of zoos worldwide which has successfully bred these distinctive animals – something we’ve achieved on several occasions in the last few years – and we’re very proud to be playing a key part in the long-term conservation of these charismatic animals.
Our work with the babirusa also doesn’t stop within the boundaries of the zoo. We’re working out in Indonesia where, alongside international conservationists and the government, we’re supporting the conservation of the species to counteract the ever increasing threats to its survival in its homeland.
The piglet was born on 1 July but, given the sensitive nature of the species, mum had been caring for her youngster in a special behind-the-scenes breeding area.
But now, Kendari has shown off her important new charge to the public for the first time in their Islands habitat.
The Secret Life of The Zoo will be broadcast on Channel 4 on Thursdays, starting 17 November at 8pm.