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L.A. Unleashed

Pronghorns and red river hogs, oh my...

By Carla HallEditorial Writer 
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The Los Angeles Zoo is having its own 4th of July sale. From Friday through Sunday, the zoo is cutting $4 off admission. (The zoo is open every day of the year except Christmas.) While you’re there, you can check out a new crop of zoo babies.

The youngsters include the endangered Peninsular pronghorn. Native to Baja California, they hold the distinction of being the only animal with branched horns. (Who knew?) ‘These are two very special little guys,’ says the zoo’s Jason Jacobs. ‘They are the first Peninsular pronghorns to ever be born in a zoo.’

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Meanwhile, in the nursery, the zoo is hand-rearing a female red river hog piglet whose mother wasn’t quite up to the job. Apparently, red river hogs have such great hearing they can detect the underground movement of an earthworm. Hmm. We’ll take the zoo’s word for it.

-- Carla Hall

L.A. Unleashed
Carla Hall

Carla Hall is an editorial board member who writes about homelessness, reproductive rights, popular culture, animal welfare, and human rights in Asia and Africa, among other topics. Before joining the board, she was a general assignment reporter for the Los Angeles Times’ California section. She previously worked for the Washington Post’s Style section, where she juggled writing with acting roles in small theaters and even a couple of TV shows. She has a bachelor’s degree in the history of science from Harvard University.

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