MARANA, Ariz. — A petting zoo near Marana says they've found a capybara that went missing following a monsoon storm last Friday night.
The Ghost Ranch Exotics and Funny Foot Farm in southern Arizona reported sustaining extensive damage to its facilities after a storm swept through over the weekend.
Half of the animal houses and many fences on the property were destroyed. The facility said a few small birds died but most of their animals were fine.
However, a kangaroo, capybara, and two porcupines were unaccounted for following Friday night's storm.
Staff members spent the weekend searching for the missing animals.
On Monday, the ranch said in a Facebook post that Ruby the capybara had been found and was safely returned home. There's been no update on the other animals.
The zoo's owner told KVOA News that the storm had caused about $50,000 in damages to the facility.
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What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?:
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.