LANGUAGE IS EVOLVING, all the time, as popular phrases come and go and fresh words for fresh innovations capture our fancy and, for a time, our tongues. But wherever the course of language may lead, and however many permutations it undergoes, the fact of the matter shall forever remain this: When one adds "-let" to basically any animal name, what results may cause the speaker and anyone in earshot to squeal in delight.
TRUE, most baby animals do not boast a "-let" at the end of their designation, but piglets do, those most squealable of newborn beasties (it's just science, that they summon such delighted squeals). But one might call a recently arrived hog a hoglet, if one wishes, and that goes for baby warthogs, too. It just so happens that Safari West in Santa Rosa recently welcomed not one warthoglet but a quartet of the snout-sweet cuties, courtesy of mom Lulu. Lulu gave birth on May 5, and the wee hogs (one girl, three boys) have been making their way out and about with their mother. "They've been spotted by some eagle-eyed guests already!" reveals Safari West, so if you're planning on a jaunt around the spacious preserve, put on your hoglet sensor and see if you can't discern these delightful little snarflers.
THERE'S LOTS MORE TO SEE... around Safari West, from giraffes to crested porcupines. If only we could call the babies of both "giraffelets" and "porcupinelets" but, truthfully, a newborn beastie is pretty awww-worthy, whatever their official designation might be.
