Furry friends welcomed back
Minnesota Zoo features 20th annual ‘Farm Babies’ family celebration
April 13, 2016
As sophomore Ian McIntyre walked into the “Farm Babies” exhibit at the Wells Fargo Family Farm at the Minnesota Zoo, he said he felt overwhelmed about being surrounded by newborn animals.
During this visit, McIntyre said he enjoyed visiting the animals and being able to touch them.
“It was really fun just to go around and feed them and pet them,” McIntyre said. “We then went in to see the cows getting milked, which is really cool. That’s something I highly recommend doing.”
According to Minnesota Zoo farm zoologist Dawn Walker, the zoo created the exhibit in order to connect people to the roots and soil of agriculture.
“We are an 8.5 acre exhibit where we basically try to demonstrate the past, present and future of agriculture,” Walker said. “We focus on some heritage breeds and how farming and agriculture used to look like in the early 1950s (or) 1960s.”
Walker said the Wells Fargo Family Farm features “Farm Babies” all April.
“We try to concentrate the majority of births during the month of April,” Walker said. “So you can see them all cute and cuddly when they’re teeny tiny, and then you can come back in May and see when they’re a month old or two months old.”
In addition to featuring baby animals, Walker said the exhibit establishes a connection to agriculture which many city residents have lost.
“A lot of us are so far removed from agriculture, and we really don’t have an idea where especially the food products that we eat come from. So, we make that connection,” Walker said.
McIntyre said the exhibit provides enjoyable, interactive ways to connect with animals.
“My family has grown up on farms, so I have seen these animals. It’s nice to see different kinds of ways that people can interact with them,” McIntyre said. “I really enjoy petting animals and seeing animals, and I love just being around animals.”
McIntyre said he suggests visiting the exhibit to experience the births.
“All the baby animals are born, and you can go and pet them and hold them. I highly recommend that because they have little ducks you can hold, and they are the most adorable things ever,” McIntyre said.
Junior Majestic Caradine said watching animals give birth sounds fascinating.
“It’s new life on the planet; it’s cool,” Caradine said. “It would be interesting to watch them be born.”
The Wells Fargo Family Farm exhibit hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The farm features “Farm Babies” until April 30. Admission to the Minnesota Zoo costs $18 for non-members and is free for members.