Peter and Lesley Parente, with Peeper the Kinkajou
Recent Events at the Animal Farm
Sheriff's Animal Farm open Sunday August 9, 2009
The Sheriff's Office Animal Farm will be open to the public Sunday, August 9, 2009 between the hours of 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Everyone is welcome to visit, free of charge, and see the wide variety of animals at the farm.
New this week at the farm is “Sunshine” the Pig. Sunshine comes to the farm from the SPCA. She was confiscated by the SPCA from Robert Adisano, who was arrested by Key West Police in March of this year on charges of animal cruelty for dragging another pig down Duval Street. When she was rescued by the SPCA from Adisano, Sunshine had severe lacerations; she was nursed back to health by the caring staff at the SPCA and is all healed up now and ready for visitors! She is a terrific addition to the Animal Farm.
The Animal Farm has many wonderful animals, including traditional farm animals, tropical animals and birds - something for everyone!
There are tropical birds, snakes, ferrets, rabbits, horses, ponies, a llama, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks, a 100 pound tortoise, an Emu, an Albino Hedgehog, Patagonian Cavys and more! New additions include a Kinkajou and a two Sloths, all natives of the Costa Rican rain forest.
The Children's Animal Farm is located at the Stock Island Detention Center, just off of College Road. It is open to the public on the second and fourth Sunday of every month. Groups may make special arrangements to visit the farm. Call the Sheriff's Office Detention Center at 305-293-7300 to schedule a visit.
Animal Farm needs animal crates
The Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm is in need of donated animal crates / carriers of all sizes.
Check your storage facilities, closets and garages. If you have any animal carriers, consider donating them to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm. With Hurricane season upon us, Farmer Jeanne Selander is preparing for the possibility the animals may have to be evacuated from the farm into a safe area. In order to do this, the smaller animals will need to be placed in carriers.
If you have a carrier to donate, of any size, please contact her at the Monroe County Detention Center: 305-293-7300. Ask for Jeanne Selander.
And remember, the Animal Farm is open second and fourth Sundays from 1-3 p.m.
February 3, 2009
Animal Farm welcomes yet more animals!
Peter and Lesley Parente, with Peeper the Kinkajou
Maggie the Sloth loves to hang upside down from the trees in the farm's Aviary
Click here to see more photos of Maggie
Add Sloth and Kinkajou to the list of animals your children will learn about when they visit the Monroe County Sheriff's Office Animal Farm this weekend. The farm will be open to the public Sunday, February 8th from 1 to 3 p.m. and is free of charge. Donations are welcome.
Farmer Jeanne Selander recently found room for Maggie (the Sloth) and Tucker (the Kinkajou) at the farm. The two animals are the stars of a children's book series written by Peter Parente. He and his wife, Lesley are actively involved in conservation efforts to preserve the Costa Rican rainforest, the habitat for these and many other animals. These animals were rescued by the Parentes, who recently asked Farmer Jeanne to take over caring for them.
The book series features Peeper the Kinkajou. Peeper has many adventures and in two of the books, the adventures involve traveling to Florida. The books are fun to read and also encourage children to be environmentally aware. You can find out more about the books, and about the animals of the Costa Rican rainforest at www.peeperandfriends.com.
Come meet the newest stars of the Sheriff's Office Children's Animal Farm, as well as all the old favorites, including Tina the Key Deer, Eeyore the Donkey, horses, bunnies, ferrets, pigs, chickens, ducks, goats, tortoises, a llama - and the list goes on. The Animal Farm is open second and fourth Sundays and is located on Stock Island, just off of College Road underneath the Sheriff's Office Main Detention Facility. Group visits can be scheduled separately by calling Farmer Jeanne Selander at 305-293-7300.
Animal Farm has new mural "Friends of the Farm"
New at the farm is this mural, titled "Friends of the Farm", by trusty Ann Ard. Ard is a local artist from Marathon currently doing time in the Monroe County Detention Center.
The mural will be used as a donor wall on which plaques will be installed to recognize donations to the farm of $500.00 or more.
The Animal Farm has many wonderful animals, including Piglet, Eeyore the Donkey who loves human attention; two female sheep, both of which have lambs with them; a bull calf and a blind horse who was starving and badly cared for when she was picked up in Dade County, but is recovering quickly and is a wonderful addition to the farm.
There is Tina the Key Deer who continues to grow and loves to visit with children and adults alike and there are, as always, tropical birds, snakes, ferrets, rabbits, horses, ponies, a llama, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks, a 100 pound tortoise, an Emu, an Albino Hedgehog, Patagonian Cavys and more!
The Children's Animal Farm is located at the Stock Island Detention Center, just off of College Road. It is open to the public on the second and fourth Sunday of every month. Groups may make special arrangements to visit the farm. For further information on the farm or to make a contribution, contact Farm Supervisor Jeanne Selander at (305)293-7300.
Animal Farm welcomes donation
Farmer Jeanne Selander and Sheriff Rick Roth gave a tour of the farm today to Todd and Lisa Stuart of Key West. The couple brought with them a generous donation from the Todd A. Stuart Foundation of $5,000.00 for the farm, which will be used to upgrade the animal’s habitats.
The Sheriff’s Animal Farm is home to many abandoned and abused animals and is open to the public on the second and fourth Sunday of each month from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Private visits can also be arranged by contacting Farmer Jeanne at 305-293-7300. Donations are gratefully accepted and all the money donated goes to the Animal Farm and the care of the almost 300 animals housed there.
August 4, 2008
Dr. Doug Mader, Farmer Jeanne Selander and Sheriff Rick Roth calm Tina,
an endangered Key Deer, prior to removing the cast from her leg. Tina was hit by
a car and is the newest resident of the Sheriff’s Office Children’s Animal Farm on Stock Island.
Sheriff welcomes exciting new addition to the farm
Monroe County Sheriff Rick Roth welcomed an exciting new addition to the Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm recently. With permission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Animal Farm will now house non-releasable Key Deer. Two weeks ago, “Tina”, who is now a 10 week old fawn, arrived at the farm. The fawn was hit by a car when she was about four weeks old and was taken to the Marathon Veterinary Hospital where Dr. Doug Mader and his staff treated her for injuries including a broken right rear leg. She was slowly nursed back to health at the clinic, while Farmer Jeanne Selander worked with the Fish and Wildlife Service to get permission for the animal to go the farm when she was in good enough condition.
The fawn is considered to be non-releasable because she has imprinted on humans, according to Dr. Mader. The Endangered Key Deer is found only in the Florida Keys and originally ranged from Big Pine Key to Key West. The Endangered Species Act allows for display of these animals for public education purposes. The Animal Farm is currently the only facility permitted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to house captive Key Deer in Monroe County.
“We are glad to be able to offer such injured, non-releasable deer a place to recover and to live out their lives,” said Sheriff Roth. “Farmer Jeanne Selander is working closely with Dr. Doug Mader to make sure we are doing all the right things to make our farm a pleasant habitat for Tina, and for any others might need our help.”
Today, Dr. Mader stopped by the Animal Farm to remove the deer’s cast from her rear leg. Just a few minutes after having the cast removed, Tina was already beginning to put weight on the leg and should be fully recovered from her injuries in a short time. Dr. Mader serves as the farm’s veterinarian, visiting the facility frequently to check on the animals and enjoy the atmosphere of the farm.
The Sheriff’s Animal Farm is open second and fourth Sundays of every month and people wishing to see Tina in person can visit this Sunday, August 10th from 1 to 3 p.m. Everyone is welcome to visit, free of charge, and see the wide variety of animals at the park, including tropical birds, snakes, ferrets, rabbits, horses, ponies, a llama, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks, a 100 pound tortoise, an Emu, an Albino Hedgehog, Patagonian Cavys and more.
The Children's Animal Farm is located at the Stock Island Detention Center, just off of College Road. It is open to the public on the second and fourth Sunday of every month. Groups may make special arrangements to visit the farm. Call the Sheriff's Office Detention Center at 305-293-7300 to schedule a visit.
Animal Planet “Emergency Vet” visits Animal Farm
Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald, well known from the television series “Emergency Vet” on the Animal Planet Cable Channel paid a visit to the Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm on June 5th.
Dr. Fitzgerald is also the illegal exotics expert for the Denver, Colorado Police Department and has sent animals to the farm on occasion, including three African Spurred Tortoise’ and for the baby Alligators on the farm. The animals were seized during drug raids in Colorado and working together with local Veterinarian Dr. Doug Mader, the animals were flown to the Keys courtesy of Delta Airlines and relocated here. Dr. Fitzgerald stopped by the farm to check on the animals and make sure they were happy here.
In the photo, Farmer Jeanne Selander holds a baby alligator and Dr. Fitzgerald holds an African Spurred Tortoise, while another one crawls on the ground.
