Denver Zoo Just Got Weirder, and We Mean That in the Best Way

The Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance welcomes babirusas — Indonesia’s most gloriously strange-looking animals — and honestly, they deserve all the attention.

If you’ve never heard of a babirusa, don’t worry. Most people haven’t. And that’s kind of the whole problem.

The Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance recently added Indonesian babirusas to its growing roster of wildlife ambassadors, and if you haven’t made plans to go see them yet, here’s your nudge. These animals look like someone took a wild pig, gave it a questionable dental plan, and then said, “You know what? Perfect. Ship it.”

So, What Even Is a Babirusa?
Fair question. The babirusa (Babyrousa) is a pig-like mammal native to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and a handful of surrounding islands. The name literally translates from Malay as “pig deer,” which tracks, because they look vaguely like both and exactly like neither.

The males are the real showstoppers. Their upper canine teeth don’t grow outward from the mouth like a normal, self-respecting tusked animal. Instead, they erupt upward through the skin of the snout itself, curling back toward the forehead in a dramatic arc that looks less like a natural biological feature and more like something a special effects team cooked up for a fantasy film. In some cases, if left unchecked, those tusks can actually curve all the way back and puncture the animal’s own skull. Nature is wild, folks. Genuinely unhinged.

The females, for what it’s worth, either lack tusks entirely or sport much smaller versions. Classic.

Why Denver? Why Now?
The Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance has been steadily expanding its focus on lesser-known species that don’t exactly get the lion’s share — pun very much intended — of public attention or conservation funding. Babirusas fall squarely into that category.

Listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, babirusas face threats from habitat loss, hunting, and the relentless encroachment of human development across their native range in Indonesia. Captive populations at accredited zoos play a real role in maintaining genetic diversity and, crucially, in getting the public to actually care about an animal they’ve never seen before.

And look, you’re probably not donating to babirusa conservation efforts if you don’t know babirusas exist. That’s just math.

Babirusas are more athletic than their pig-adjacent appearance suggests. They’re strong swimmers, comfortable in forested and marshy environments, and surprisingly quick on their feet. In the wild, they forage for fallen fruit, leaves, fungi, and the occasional bit of bark — not exactly a glamorous diet, but effective.

They’re also notably less aggressive than many of their pig relatives, which makes them somewhat easier to work with in a zoological setting. Somewhat. They’re still wild animals with absurd facial tusks, so let’s not get too casual about it.

At the Denver Zoo, the new arrivals are part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), a cooperative breeding program managed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) that works to sustain healthy, genetically diverse populations of threatened species in human care.

The Bigger Picture
Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance has been doing real work in the field, not just housing animals but actively funding and participating in conservation efforts globally. Adding babirusas to the collection isn’t just about having something new and weird to look at — though, to be clear, they absolutely are new and weird to look at — it’s about building public awareness around a species that doesn’t have a lot of natural PR going for it.

Elephants have their champions. Pandas practically have a branding team. Babirusas have been out here quietly being one of evolution’s most eccentric experiments, largely without fanfare, while their forests disappear.

Maybe Denver changes that a little.

Go See Them. The zoo is located in City Park and is open year-round. Memberships are available if you’re the type who wants to swing by regularly and check on your new favorite weird pig. No judgment. That’s actually a perfectly reasonable life choice.

For current hours, admission pricing, and exhibit information, visit denverzoo.org.