Jennifer Jackson
Staff Writer
The annual Los Angeles County Fair presents an exotic animal display to help educate and entertain attendees about different types of animals and breeds.
Some of the entertainment offered includes pig races, baby farm animal shows, a petting zoo, milking demonstrations and educational talks.
The variety of animals at the fair ranges from small rabbits to magnificent zebras, and they all require special care and attention to make sure they are in good health.
“There’s a vet on site that sees and checks every animal every single day,” said Patricia Weaver, member of the Big Red Barn staff and consultant at the LACF. “The vet is on-call for any emergencies,” she said.
Due to the current heat wave, the proper measures must be taken to protect the animals from dehydration.
“The animals are well taken care of,” John Atwater, creative consultant at the Fairplex, said. “They are well watered, especially on hot days. It’s important to keep the animals hydrated.”
For those looking for a hands-on experience with the animals, the petting zoo is the place to be.
Attendees can purchase livestock feed pellets in paper cups for $3 to feed the animals.
Signs are placed throughout the petting area, giving animal handling safety tips.
One of the most emphasized sign is to always wash your hands after handling the animals.
A cow milking demonstration is done multiple times throughout the day with fresh milk available for purchase.
Children are urged to participate in the feeding during the baby animal show which is performed daily.
The Extreme Equine Show showed the hybridization of horses, donkeys, and zebras.
The zonkey (zebra-donkey) is short with the head of donkey and the striping of a zebra.
The zebrinny (zebra-horse) is average height with the head and body of a horse, but with the stripes of a zebra.
Depending on the combination, the results vary. For example, when a female horse (mare) mates with a male (stallion) zebra, the result is a zorse.
But when a stallion horse and a zebra mare mate, the result is a zebrinny.
The offspring of the horse-donkey, horse-zebra and donkey-zebra combinations cannot reproduce; they are sterile.
The speaker of this equine show is the supervisor of the farm animals, Sky Shivers.
Oklahoma native, Shivers has been working at the LACF for 14 years with the animals, particularly in educational programs.
“I enjoy being a small cog in part of something that pleases and tickers the minds of others,” Shivers said.
“My favorite part of my job is when animals give birth. There’s voiceover during the whole process, educating the audience,” she said.
“It’s beneficial for all to see. I like helping people to understand and respect animals,” she said.
All the LACF animals come from 10 local animal providers.
Each animal provider specializes in different animal breeds such as pigs and zebras. The animals are available to meet and greet until Sept. 28.
Jennifer Jackson can be reached at jennifer.jackson2@ laverne.edu.
