By TOSHIYUKI TAKEYA/ Staff Writer
May 26, 2017 at 07:00 JST
Editor's note: This is part of a series of videos offering an up-close perspective on the animal kingdom. A special 360-degree video camera system was set up in zoos and other facilities to show how the animals view their world as they interact.
Also visit our special 360-DEGREE LIVES page (http://t.asahi.com/360lives), where you can watch all the previous videos.
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Looking as dashing as a Kabuki actor in theater makeup, the red river hog conjures up images of Okkoto, an old boar god from the Studio Ghibli anime classic “Princess Mononoke.”
The Yokohama Zoological Gardens in the city’s Asahi Ward, aka Zoorasia, is home to four red river hogs.
Our two attempts to capture the bush pigs on camera failed last year because only one of them approached the camera each time.
Because red river hogs live in groups, there is a pecking order and strong individuals get all the food, according to zoo attendant Shiho Suzuki, 23.
But on our third try in late January, we finally succeeded in making the best use of the 360-degree video camera and filming two red river hogs together--at least for a couple of minutes.
A type of small wild boar, the red river hog lives in forests and near the water’s edge in Central Africa. The males weigh about 60 to 80 kilograms. Covered in reddish-brown fur, it features feathering on ears and a white mane on the back. The hair on their back stands on end when they are agitated. The males also have humps on each side of their face.
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