Animal Farm Adventure Park in Berrow says they are taking special measures to ensure the wellbeing of their 150 animals during a ‘testing time’.
The Coronavirus outbreak has hit the tourist attraction near Burnham-On-Sea hard, and the farm now faces the possibility of permanent closure and is asking for the public’s support.
An online fundraising page has been set up for donations while staff are introducing a ‘Virtual Farm’ event on Facebook to bring the farm into people’s homes.
On the current situation, a spokesperson says: “We are at the most testing time in the history of Animal Farm, a country park first opened in 1984. It has never faced the problems of 2020 after weeks of storm and flood damage, and now the outbreak of Coronavirus.”
“With over 150 animals onsite, including George the Raccoon, llamas, alpacas, goats, sheep, rabbits, degus, chipmunks, a vast collection of reptiles and bugs, we must ensure we can provide the best care, attention and food during these difficult times.”
“The cost of animal care is massive. It’s really worrying – what’s going to happen to our 150 animals? We might not be able to look after them.”
“The staff have been amazing and there’s a real team spirit but the animals come first.”
To keep Animal Farm Adventure Park a part of people’s lives, the team are making a ‘Virtual Farm’ event which will show live videos from the farm’s daily life on Facebook, including births and feeding time.
The event on Facebook states: “We’ll be going live with our animal teams, catching births, first steps and feeding time. “We’ll aim to be interactive, and answer questions and give educational content for inquisitive minds!”
They have also set up a GoFundMe page for people to leave donations, which reads: “Please help support our lovely animals and enable them to remain unaffected by what this year has brought.”
The site has remained open for the general public – albeit with new social distancing measures introduced and hand sanitisers at every entrance.
You can donate to the online fundraising page here.
You can also find the Facebook event for their ‘virtual farm’ here.
