Many small children learn "Old McDonald had a Farm" but not all of them actually get to see farm animals in person. I happen to live on the same street as Davis' Farmland, one of the largest private sanctuaries for endangered livestock in the country. They also happen to have a fantastic petting zoo that gives these children a chance to see animals up close. It also contains the largest corn maze in the country, possible world, but that will be another post.
Meeting up with my sister-in-law and borrowing my nephew I had a chance to capture the wonder and excitement that a child experiences as he observes and interacts with some of these animals. Grabbing my camera, I then packed up some hand sanitizer and we went for an adventure on the farm.
Most parents think of petting zoos as filthy places with nothing but goats that try to eat everything you have on you. What many adults forget is the joy and wonder of being next to an animal that you may never see otherwise. They forget the hilarity of watching the animals fight for attention. Here are a couple of shots that I feel are able to capture those long lost childhood memories.
Plenty of people will go through their entire lives never actually touching a goat. My nephew is not one of them.
What us grown ups forget sometimes is the joy of having unique experiences. Too many times we shy away from things because we are comfortable and over analyze situations. At the farm I saw goats approach some parents in chairs and they were shunned away by disgusted adults. I even heard one say "they are dirty, I don't want them on me." If you ask a child if he would like to share a chair with a goat the answer will most assuredly be yes.
Aside from the various goats, sheep, and bovine there were also a large collection of fowl. Most of these were not exactly up for cuddle time, but still walked through the crowds at will. Some of the birds were kept in an enclosure equipped with binoculars to enhance the feeling of exploration and discovery.
The next photo is a bit out of place but I really like it. Though I am not quite sure how this bird can navigate the crowds I am sure that most people just move out of its way anyhow.
Attached to the petting zoo there is a sanitized water park to help clean off the children. This also gives the parents a chance to sit down and relax as their children run around and get soaked. The water park is small and simple but when you are young that is all you need. If only we could all remain so easy to please.
One of the more popular features are a couple of horse head water cannons. For the most part children who knew nothing of each other were able to share and "attack" each other without a single argument. The simple joy of aiming a water cannon at another person and ducking out of the way is definitely under-rated.
Learning about farms and how they actually impact our lives is incredibly important and should not be underrated. We all owe it to ourselves and future generations to learn as much as possible about every aspect of our world. Do not lose your inner child that wants to get dirty and discover new things.
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