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Oakland Zoo Brings In New Warthogs For Breeding

OAKLAND (CBS SF) - The Oakland Zoo's resident male warthog is about to get some female companionship.

Three-year-old Simon has won approval from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to breed, and two new females have been brought in to meet with him and hopefully mate, according to zoo officials.

The two females, both 2 years old, were brought in from the Jacksonville Zoo in Florida and from Zoo Atlanta.

Zookeepers have been working to slowly introduce them to each other, as warthogs can be a challenge to introduce in captivity. Things have gone well, and Simon is now being introduced into the mix, zoo officials said.

Warthogs like to dig for roots and tubers, graze on grass and wallow in the mud, zoo officials said.

They can live into their mid- to late teens in captivity.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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