Oleson Park Petting Zoo - Fort Dodge, IA
69As homeschoolers, we try to get the kids out to experience new things on a regular basis. We were out and about in North Central Iowa and ran into the Oleson Park Petting Zoo at Oleson Park in Fort Dodge, IA.
This park has free admission on weekend and Thursday afternoons [edit: during the winter months, most of the animals are removed and the petting zoo is closed. You can still come visit the larger animals and feed them through the fence.]. They do accept freewill donations. They also - frustratingly - have small animals for sale. The bunnies we saw on our visit were in good health, priced at $5 a piece, but came with no instructions whatsoever. This is definitely an establishment geared toward HUMAN benefit.
Inside the petting zoo, there are llamas, muntjac (miniature) deer, miniature horses, sheep, pygmy goats, rabbits, and - if you can believe it - imus. No way would I let my kids toward those crazy-beaked creatures. Geese can hurt with their flat bills, can you imagine a peck from one of those behomeths?
The upside is that most of the animals are very friendly. The llama doesn't seem to realize it's not one of the people though. It goes around and looks in on other exhibits, and doesn't really enjoy being the center of attention. He took a pet or two before running away ... kicking.
In addition to the pets meant for petting, there are several animals on display. Bobcats, turkeys, porcupines, foxes, exotic chickens, geese and swans and a large enclosure for deer. Years ago, the deer in Oleson park were from a rehabilitation program for animals hit by cars. Today, it's anyone's guess.
Though the petting zoo can be a chance for kids to learn what animals look like, there is very little information posted on the care of these animals or our affect on their environment. However, it opens the door for more of that kind of thing around your own home.
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This editorial on the petting zoo seems geared towards the negative. I'm sorry you couldn't find more positive words for this lowly petting zoo.
I recently (September 2011) visited Oleson Park Zoo and found it ok for many of the animals (barnyard animals) but GROSSLY INADEQUATE situation for the Bobcat. You cannot leave an intelligent, sentient predatory animal that normaly maintains a range of potentially hundreds of miles to sit in a cage that is approximately 5X9 feet!!!! Especially when they are continuously surrounded by disturbances (close proximity to humans) and stress factors (close but unattainable proximity to prey species at all times, without any apparent outlet for natural predatory instincts). There was zero environmental enrichment there for the Bobcat. Cats are so intelligent and curious and NEED to exercise, explore, etc. as well as truly NEED spaces to get away from disturbance. This was undoubtedly the worst case scenario I have ever witnessed for an captive animal. The Bobcat was displaying the typical stereotypical behaviors such as pacing all the time. These types of situations can drive the animal insane and is tantamount to torture. The only way I could ever justify what I witnessed there was that if it was a rescue situation and the Bobcat was only going to be in that cage very temporarily. With what I wintessed there, I do not think this article was "too negative". The concerns expressed are legitimate. In fact, if anything, the article does not really stress such legitimate concerns enough. If it is a wild Bobcat, it should (and could) be set free - there are many areas in the US where that could be a real possibility (many wildlife preserves or national forest areas) and since it is a native species, there is no "exotic wildlife" issue. If it was a rescue situation (someone's "pet") then it will likely have to remain captive. If this is the case, PLEASE TELL ME THAT OLESON PARK WILL MAKE ANY AND ALL EFFORTS POSSIBLE TO IMPROVE THE AREA FOR THE BOBCAT. Yes it is important for humans to be educated about animals and yes, zoos can be a big part of that ... but ... not if they are failing to provide adequate space and basic environmental enrichment for highly intelligent species. I was so shocked and saddened by what I saw with regard to the Bobcat. PLEASE try and improve the care for this amazing animal.
I'm sorry if any were offended, but it was negative for a reason. This organization needs to do a better job of caring for the animals they put on display. I don't want my children - or any children - to think that we have a right to torture and abuse animals for our own amusement, and that is what the treatment of some of the animals was in reality.
They used to keep bear cubs. For a few months, children would have a cute tiny bear to see. Of course, the teeth were removed, and the claws, and after it was 3 months or so they sold them at an auction for exotic animals because at that point they were too big to be safe. That is deplorable, and I'm very happy to say that it's stopped. For now, anyway.
Alice, I agree with you wholeheartedly, and hopefully people will continue to speak up about the treatment of the animals there. That's the only way things change for the better.
The Oelson Park Petting Zoo was taken over by a group of big hearted volunteers that work hard, with limited donations, making improvements, as they can with the limited help and limited donations. I was a complainer, once! I have been lucky enough to get a birds eye view to the general Zoo situation, around the world. Oelson Park volunteers have improved the zoo, which was once completely run down. I understand your concerns, and this is GOOD, but rather than complain, how can we HELP? I felt blessed that the DNR approved that Oelson Park Petting Zoo take my rehabilitated deer "Faithful" who I had hand raised from an orphan, rather than euthanize HIM, which was the only option they gave me. Many animals face that end. There is a reason these animals are confined and not allowed to be released into this crazy world we live in. Just last year, someone felt sorry for the confined animals, cut a hole in the fence, and releasing the deer. All but one out of the 14 deer died. They were brought up in this environment and did not know what to do "outside." The deer got into poison, in a junk yard. They all died, but one. Will YOUR complaints or actions create something for the GOOD? I miss Faithful, now a yearling buck. He brought so much joy, to a few people in my home town. I am broken hearted that I am not close by, to give him every little thing a deer might enjoy, if I had all the money in the world. It is expensive to hand raise animals, and time consuming, if you love them and care for them, properly. Faithful faced the fate of being shot or poisoned (in my neighborhood) and if released, he could have killed someone, during the rut season. Many zookeepers are not doing this for a living. They love these animals who have no other options, if it were not for them. I suggest that rather than complain, which helps NOTHING, WE HELP OUT....Give the zoo a monetary gift or an element that can be added to the zoo. Get together and make this a success story, for the animals and the children. Show YOUR children what it looks like to help others, rather than to knock them down. Now that would be a lesson that even kids could take part in! We need to think, before we speak...Our complaints may make things even worse for the animals and the hard working volunteers! The Oelson Park Petting Zoo does need help and donations, like most facilities that are trying to care for animals with little outside revenue. They love these animals and love how the kids respond, when they visit. I will bet the KIDS are not complaining! Seeing need and not helping, is a SIN in God's eyes. James 2:14-26 You can start by joining their newsletter. Donations feed the animals and pay the vets and on and on. Please help, I am personally involved now, and I pray for a rising up of helping hands!!! I suggested a webcam, and have donated money. This way there will be more publicity, which will bring in even more help.
mckayla 2 years ago
do u have any lop eared bunnies