Birth of the Raptors

At long-last, Animal Adventures Inc. once again hears the pitter-patter of dinosaur feet with the latest birth on the property. A pair of baby Velociraptor mongoliensis just hatched last Tuesday. The happy parents are Buck and Ginger Velociraptor. These are not their first children – that title belongs to Molly, their daughter, but the parents are excited nonetheless.

After hearing the wonderful news, my trusty, junior photographer, Daniel P. Smithwater, and I went to the Velociraptor's apartment room to check out the happy family. The new baby raptors, Robert and Charlie, are only a few days old, but they're already on their feet and moving about. “Raptors are born precocial,” says Ginger Velociraptor. “That means when they hatch, they can stand, walk and run all within their first few hours of life.” “However,” Buck added, “that does not mean they are by any standard ready to live on their own. We raptors still require much parental care when we hatch, something I, as a genetically engineered specimen, didn't have growing up...at least, I didn't have parental care from a Velociraptor.”

Right now, according to Buck, one of the most important things about being a raptor is knowing how to stalk and successfully hunt prey. Buck is quoted for saying, “We never hunt other animals or humans on Animal Adventures Inc. property...well, there are a few certain, pesty, rather annoying humans who can drive us nuts, but we don't hunt them...usually...anyway, since we don't hunt anything on the property [it's against the rules, for obvious reasons], we go to a nearby hunting reserve, where we can hunt deer and other wild animals native to the Riverville.”

I then asked Ginger how she likes being big sister for the first time. “I think it's an interesting experience,” she says. “I'm proud and all, but I can't really say much more than that, because I lack the experience of helping Mom and Dad care for little siblings. They're pretty cute at this stage, but I'm sure they'll probably drive me bonkers once they get a little older. But no matter how annoying they are, they will always be my little brothers, and I love them.”

Written by: Mr. Smiley

Photographer: Daniel P. Smithwater

Edited by: Christian Ryan

Weekly Cartoons

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