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A family-run, family-friendly petting zoo has opened in Chase

Petting zoo opens in Chase

What has two emus, three alpacas, a donkey, exotic ducks and a pot-bellied pig named Hamilton?

Well, a few places, probably, but locally, just one: Mim and Little Wyatt's Petting Zoo. They also have goats (lots of goats), other birds, rabbits and more.

The petting zoo, owned and operated by the Bolton family, is named after Linda Bolton (Mim) and her grandson Wyatt, and run by Bolton's daughter Jessie (with help from her husband and Linda).

"I help her get it set up, and work the concession stand, help with the animals, and the cleaning, and the organizing," Linda tells Castanet.

Wyatt, 8, also helps out (when he feels like it).

"He sometimes gives little tours of the animals," Linda says. "He knows all the animals really well."

The new petting zoo is set up at the Bolton's home, a farm just outside of Chase they bought two-and-a-half years ago. As part of buying the property, the family had to come up with a business plan, which includes a riding school, hay farm and (now) the newly opened petting zoo.

Linda says the petting zoo made sense; Jessie, who teaches horseback riding, had a fair number of animals, in particular a small herd of Nigerian goats. Since she had horses and ponies for the riding lessons, they also held birthday parties for kids with pony rides.

"She had all these other animals just for herself, but the little kids were interested in all her other animals," Linda says.

"They'd come for ponies," she adds, "and go off looking at birds and goats."

They made the petting zoo happen last fall; they created the space (with pens) and opened for a couple of weeks at the end of October as a trial run. Earlier this month, the reopened to the public, with COVID-19 protections in place. Linda notes they were ahead of the game a little bit in that respect; they already had sanitizer stations, since it's a petting zoo.

However, because of the pandemic, there isn't any petting going on. One goat, a tiny four-pound kid, can be bottle fed by children, since the bottle can be sanitized. Other than that there's no direct touching of the animals. Linda says they are trying to keep give people a chance to get close though.

Right now, Mim and Little Wyatt's Petting Zoo is open to the public four days a week, from Friday to Monday. The hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., but Linda says if people call they may be able to accommodate drop-ins. They are also open for private events.

It's located at 5976 VLA Rd., west of Chase (across from Pete Murray's Corn Farm). Admission is $6 a person. Babies under 12 months get in free.

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