Baby Animals

Here are some of the zoos known for conservation and breeding efforts: Wild Animal Park, 15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido; (760) 747-8702, http://www.sandiegozoo.org/park. Adults (12 and older) $37, children (3-11) $27. Parking $9. Two-hour photo caravan tour $90 for adults and children 8 and older and includes giraffe and rhino feeding. San Diego Zoo (35 miles from the Wild Animal Park), 2920 Zoo Drive in Balboa Park, San Diego; (619) 231-1515, http://www.sandiegozoo.

See these tiny, adorable kittens, their eyes so wide, their tiny ears so perky? Your boss probably thinks they're a distraction, but they actually may have boosted your concentration and productivity. Turns out that puppies, baby harp seals and other Knut-like creatures aren't just good for winning points on the “Aww” index. Beyond the uncontrollable surge of affection they inspire, cute animals may also influence behavior, according to researchers from Hiroshima University. Tests showed that an image of fluffy little critters “not only improves fine motor skills but also increases perceptual carefulness.” They could be used “to induce careful behavioral tendencies in specific situations, such as driving and office work,” according to the report.

The greater flamingos squawk like ducks as they go about their busy lives in an aviary at the Los Angeles Zoo. The pale pink birds root in the mud for bugs, skimming a rank-looking pond for mosquito larvae, and get into neck-looping fights with each other. This summer, they also have another activity: child rearing.

Here are some of the zoos known for conservation and breeding efforts: Wild Animal Park, 15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido; (760) 747-8702, http://www.sandiegozoo.org/park. Adults (12 and older) $37, children (3-11) $27. Parking $9. Two-hour photo caravan tour $90 for adults and children 8 and older and includes giraffe and rhino feeding. San Diego Zoo (35 miles from the Wild Animal Park), 2920 Zoo Drive in Balboa Park, San Diego; (619) 231-1515, http://www.sandiegozoo.

Baby Animals are three guys fronted by a tough-and-tender, guitar-wielding, rock-wailing woman. The Australian band's music ranges from gritty rock to graceful ballads, all with a compelling blend of edgy bravado and revealing vulnerability. OK, now get those thoughts of the Pretenders out of your head. "Chrissie Hynde . . .

You peer out your kitchen window and see a baby bird hopping and fluttering in the back yard as though it can't get off the ground. You want to help, but what can you do? Sometimes the greatest kindness is to do nothing. "First make sure the baby needs help," says Martine Colette, founder and president of the Wildlife Waystation, a nonprofit animal rescue and rehabilitation facility. "At the end of the season, baby birds sometimes leave the nest and flutter and hop on the ground.

Los Angeles Zoo (Griffith Park at Ventura and Golden State freeways, [323] 644-6400). Throughout May, the zoo will present its annual "Everybody Loves a Baby" event, whose baby animals include the gerenuk above. Other zoo attractions include the Winnick Family Children's Zoo; the Red Ape Rain Forest, a replica of a natural habitat for orangutans; and the Chimpanzees of Mahale Mountains. Daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $8.25; seniors 65 and older, $5.25; children 2-12, $3.25.

See these tiny, adorable kittens, their eyes so wide, their tiny ears so perky? Your boss probably thinks they're a distraction, but they actually may have boosted your concentration and productivity. Turns out that puppies, baby harp seals and other Knut-like creatures aren't just good for winning points on the “Aww” index. Beyond the uncontrollable surge of affection they inspire, cute animals may also influence behavior, according to researchers from Hiroshima University. Tests showed that an image of fluffy little critters “not only improves fine motor skills but also increases perceptual carefulness.” They could be used “to induce careful behavioral tendencies in specific situations, such as driving and office work,” according to the report.

And here comes "The Wonder Pets!," premiering today on Nickelodeon's preschool programming block, Nick Jr. (regular daytime airings begin Monday), in which a guinea pig, a duckling and a turtle, who live together in a little red schoolhouse, become superheroes after the children go home, traveling the world to save imperiled baby animals. Readers already au fait with Nick Jr. will see a resemblance to "Go, Diego, Go!

A miniature Betty White in a safari suit appears to sit in a notch of a rock to explain the habits of the very real spotted skunk running around below. The illusion of a vampire bat hangs near a visitor's shoulder as well as inside protective glass, and touching a blank glass wall produces surprise images of everything from a bear to--yechht!--a cockroach. Nearby, the Zooputer quizzes the visitor who has just pressed a button summoning a photo of a chuckwalla lizard: "What lunches on the chuckwalla?"

The greater flamingos squawk like ducks as they go about their busy lives in an aviary at the Los Angeles Zoo. The pale pink birds root in the mud for bugs, skimming a rank-looking pond for mosquito larvae, and get into neck-looping fights with each other. This summer, they also have another activity: child rearing.

What accounts for the consumption of 6,000 pounds of chicken in less than a month and produces 90 baby animals, including goat triplets and 14 potbellied pigs? Give up? It's the Los Angeles County Fair. After producing these and many other obscure statistics, the 84th annual fair came to a close on Sunday after an 18-day run at the Fairplex in Pomona. Attendance figures were still being tallied, but the fair has averaged about 1.3 million visitors over the last several years, officials said.

And here comes "The Wonder Pets!," premiering today on Nickelodeon's preschool programming block, Nick Jr. (regular daytime airings begin Monday), in which a guinea pig, a duckling and a turtle, who live together in a little red schoolhouse, become superheroes after the children go home, traveling the world to save imperiled baby animals. Readers already au fait with Nick Jr. will see a resemblance to "Go, Diego, Go!

Los Angeles Zoo (Griffith Park at Ventura and Golden State freeways, [323] 644-6400). Throughout May, the zoo will present its annual "Everybody Loves a Baby" event, whose baby animals include the gerenuk above. Other zoo attractions include the Winnick Family Children's Zoo; the Red Ape Rain Forest, a replica of a natural habitat for orangutans; and the Chimpanzees of Mahale Mountains. Daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $8.25; seniors 65 and older, $5.25; children 2-12, $3.25.

Like a proud parent, the Los Angeles Zoo is showing off its babies. The new arrivals include a golden lion tamarin, a white-cheeked gibbon, a mountain tapir, a sifaka and giant eland brothers. Most of the babies were bred and born on display. "It's a good educational tool for the public," said Michael Dee, the zoo's general curator. Except for watching closely for any signs of illness, curators don't interfere with the mothers' raising of their young.

After more than 2 million farm animals were slaughtered to stop foot-and-mouth disease, one photogenic calf was credited last week with forcing the British government to change its policy. Agriculture Minister Nick Brown announced that officials would be given discretion on whether it was necessary to carry out the government "firebreak" policy of culling apparently healthy animals on farms surrounding infected properties.

Jean Hromadka, 30, cares for elephants, said to be one of the most perilous of zookeeper jobs. The Asian elephants at the San Diego Wild Animal Park are her whole life, her family, her future. She explained to Times photographer Dave Gatley the appeal of working with the giant beasts. For the longest time my mother wanted me to get a real job, and my brothers and sisters thought my job was neat, but I don't think they necessarily understand.

At the Wildlife Waystation, a refuge for native and exotic animals in Angeles National Forest, there are no unimportant jobs. "You might start out with a little bit of involvement, but once you see the need, there is so much to do here," said Caryol Smith of Sun Valley, who started volunteering at the way station almost five years ago after raising money for the group in the Los Angeles Marathon in 1990.

I am not sure I can write that there has never been a time when so many books about animals appear on a daily basis. But I think I can safely say that never before have there been so many books about animals where the theme is so uniform and so different from books that appeared just a few years ago.

You're never too young to be mesmerized by a piece of music. You're never too young to be captivated by a storybook character. And in the eyes of the video industry, you're never too young to be a target market. Having captured the hearts and minds of school-age children and teen-agers, video suppliers are focusing their marketing efforts on preschoolers.