Sacramento Zoo has a new way to interact with giraffes and three four-weeks-old piglets to introduce to its visitors.

    Goody, a 13 year old, 14 ft tall giraffe, gets close to the folks wanting a giraffe encounter at the Zoo. He and two other giraffes are eager to meet visitors at the Tall Wonders giraffe viewing deck. Of course they're wanting to eat the food people serve to them!

For $3 per person, a visitor receives a piece of giraffe food (a small tree branch called “browse”) and is admitted into the supervised encounter area on the Tall Wonders giraffe viewing deck. The Zoo's giraffes are on a strict diet. What they eat and the amount eaten daily is monitored carefully by veterinary staff. No outside food is permitted.

According to a zoo spokeperson, "Giraffe encounters are at 11:45 am and 2:00 pm daily and may run for up to 30 minutes. Encounters may be canceled for very hot or inclement weather, and are subject to change or cancellation if the giraffes are not approaching the viewing deck on any given day. These amazing creatures are wild animals and we cannot guarantee that they will stick to our schedule. Encounter times may vary seasonally."

Meet the Zoo's newest residents:

Daisy, a red river hog, gave birth to the three piglets shown above on July 16 at the Zoo.They now follow mom around in their space and nurse on her even when she's laying in mud (below).

One of the piglets doesn't want to let go of  mom's teet when she stands to get out of the mud. Dad hog will be introduced to his family at a later date once it is determined the mom and little ones have bonded.

Red river hogs live in wet forested areas and swamps in Africa, south of the Sahara to the Cape of Africa and Madagascar.

They are fast runners and good swimmers. Their hearing is so sensitive that they can detect underground movements of an earthworm.

 For more information, visit: www.saczoo.com

SacPress Photos | Kati Garner