Zynga announced yesterday that animals will become a combat item class of their own yesterday. Here is the official announcement.

“The animals are coming! Mafia Wars is pleased to announce that animals will have a new importance in the game. Starting next week, animals will become a fully-fledged combat item class that you can use. In fights and robbing, you’ll bring one Weapon, Armor, Vehicle, AND Animal for each Mafia member you use in the fight! All existing animals in the game will be converted to this new “Animal” item type.

In preparation for this change, we’re kicking this off by having “Animals Gone Wild!” week. During this week, animals will be dropping from jobs, fighting and robbing. If you want a head start in assembling your private zoo, you can go to the Marketplace to get your hands on our new Vicious Crates. These crates will contain exclusive LE animals that can’t be found anywhere else. We’ll also be featuring various LE animals in our hourly sales slots, so keep an eye out for those great deals!

We are also releasing two Limited Edition animals on the Marketplace: an African Lion and Pit Bull. These will only be available this week – so make sure you grab them before it’s too late!”

With this announcement Zynga ensures that players will be clamoring for animals now. Are they yet another thing to blow Reward Points on? To some spending reward points for limited items and animals is how they play. This type of player must have at least one of every limited item, and there is nothing wrong with that at all. Others spend Reward Points on nothing but skill points…that’s me.

Here are the stats for the two limited edition animals mentioned in the official announcement.

African Lion – 58 attack, 36 defense

Pit Bull – 35 attack, 57 defense

If you want these animals you need to act quickly since they will only be available this week.

If you are welcomed to connect to your Mafia Wars, recently with a screen pop-ups for the Mission Mafia Wars Challenge were: Paris. I was pleasantly surprised to find it, because I want to see something new in Mafia Wars.

Paris is different than any other city that we have conquered in the war of the Mafia. Unlike other cities can be visited Paris for a short duration, three weeks in total. I think people thought we need Zynga a trip to the City of Light as a holiday.

When you fly to Paris the first thing that you will notice is that another screen pops up telling you that you need more mafia. Everyone gets this screen and it will always tell you that you need one more mafia than you currently have. I guess its Zynga’s way of encouraging you to invite more players.

Then next thing that you will discover is that you need a butt load of “Parisian Maps.” These items can be acquired by doing jobs or fighting in other cities as well as collecting 5 per day from the Paris starting screen or you can purchase them from the Marketplace at the price of 10 Reward Points for 14 of them.

There are three separate and distinct chapters and one will be revealed per week until the event is over. With the completion of each chapter you will earn a Limited Edition Item.

Chapter 1

Parisian Fixer, 30 Attack, 61 Defense

Chapter 2

French Kiss, 75 Attack, 45 Defense

Chapter 3

DaVinci Q415, 63 Attack, 103 Defense

The Paris Event is a pleasant little diversion for those of us who have completed all of the other cities and are anxiously awaiting the next expansion. Get started grabbing Parisian Maps and take a trip to the City of Lights.