Girl gets an official license to keep a pet unicorn

A handwritten letter from a young girl led Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control to issue the child a pre-approved license to keep an unusual pet — a unicorn.

Officials said in an Instagram post that they received the letter from Madeline, which read: “Dear LA County, I would like your approval if I can have a unicorn in my back yard if I can find one. Please send me a letter in response.”

The officials decided to respond this way: “We commend Madeline’s sense of responsible pet ownership to seek permission in advance to keep a unicorn in Los Angeles County. As a result, we issued her a pre-approved unicorn license,” the post said.

They also gave Madeline a stuffed unicorn to wear the license for the time being, as real unicorns “are indeed very rare to find.”

Albino porcupine rescued

A British Columbia animal shelter announced an unusual “new guest” at its facility — an albino porcupine.

The Northern Lights Animal Sanctuary said in a social media post that the porcupine, dubbed Coconut, was found chewing through hydraulic hoses and electric cables on a residential property.

The porcupine is an albino, meaning its body and eyes are completely devoid of pigment, a condition very rare in porcupines.

Sanctuary officials said Coconut will spend the winter with them, but may be released back into the wild sometime next year.

Mars rover captures 1st sound of dust devil

A Nasa rover on Mar had its microphone on when a whirling tower of red dust passed directly overhead, recording the racket. It’s about 10 seconds of not only rumbling gusts, but also the pinging of hundreds of dust particles against the rover Perseverance. Scientists released the first-of-its-kind audio.

It sounds strikingly similar to dust devils on Earth, although quieter since Mars’ thin atmosphere makes for more muted sounds and less forceful wind.

Dust devils are common on the red planet. This one was in the average range: at least 400 feet tall and 80 feet across, traveling at 16 feet per second. These recordings allow scientists to study the Martian wind, atmospheric turbulence and dust movement as never before.

Deputy dressed as Grinch gives onions to speeding drivers

Col. Lou Caputo, a 37-year veteran of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, dressed as the Grinch and gave an odorous onion to several motorists speeding through an elementary school zone on the Florida Keys Overseas Highway.

Drivers who travel about five mph or less above the school zone’s speed limit can choose between traffic citations and an onion presented by the Grinch. Those speeding beyond that likely receive a costly ticket.

“It catches them off guard,” Caputo said. “But when I give them a clear choice of a citation or the onion, they will take the onion. And I’ve had them eat the onion right in front of me.”

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 24th, 2022