A Month After Abrupt Closure, Petting Zoo Animals are Business As Usual

Almost a month since an unexpected shut-down at Simmons Farm Petting Zoo caused somewhat of a stir in Middletown and lit up social networking sites with web-based support, the farm animals seem to be all business-as-usual again—greeting visitors with the usual nosing, nudging, wagging and waddling that have become a popular local attraction among Aquidneck Island families.

On one recent afternoon, the petting zoo goats and geese provided a perfect early afternoon getaway for local mom Desiree Barone, 27, of Middletown, as she chaperoned four children under age six who stood equal parts enthralled and fascinated before the dozen animals that curiously stared back. "It's nice," she said. "The kids like the animals."

Others who came by some time later made no mention of last month's closure.

The Petty Zoo, which fronts West Main Road on the 102-acre farm at the Portsmouth town line,  had closed on July 13, 2010 for two days following a spate of seemingly unrelated events. In one instance during a heat wave, a visitor raised concerns for the sheep's welfare to animal protection authorities, and that same week a customer allegedly entered a restricted area of the yard without authorization and was bitten by a family dog. Others reportedly complained of litter in the parking lot left by visitors, as well as some guests feeding petting zoo animals with food not unauthorized by the farm. The farm provides veterinarian approved food at the petting zoo for 50-cents per cup.

When the Simmons' announced the temporary closing of the Petting Zoo, many in the community rallied in support. Within a few hours of the closing, dozens of people had posted to the Simmons Farm Facebook page, some expressing outrage over the closing and others offering assistance to do whatever it took to re-open the Petting Zoo. 

On July 15, the Petting Zoo re-opened with limited hours and, at first, for only three days that week.

Upon re-opening, a Simmons Farm staff member was on hand to answer any questions or concerns about the animals the public had.

Since last month's closure, the Simmons' have installed new signage with posted notices to visitors, as well as fencing and gates to prevent people from accessing the areas of the farm that aren't open to the public. The Simmons' have re-opened the Petting Zoo from sun-up to sundown every day and opened a farmstand on Sundays from noon to 5 pm.

The farm is a family affair run by Brian and Karla Simmons, and their children, Brendan, 17, Aiden 10, and Alex, 4, are often seen nearby at the local farmer's markets or out on the farm talking to people, answering questions, and sharing their love for farming.

"It is important for people of all ages to feel a connection with where there food comes from because when people feel connected to something then they start to care about it," Karla Simmons recently told Patch. "If we can get our children to care about our environment and our food sources (their local farms) then we will start to make a real step in the right direction and make the positive changes we need to again localize our food system and preserve our land and resources."

Besides providing the community with certified organic meats and produce, as well as Aquidneck Island's only CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share, Simmons Farm has also maintained a section of their farm as a petting zoo open to the public.  At 50 cents per cup of feed, they are not doing it to add to their bottom line, but instead also see the endeavor as yet another connection and education opportunity for the community.

"The animals provide such real life experiences. People can see them play with each other, fight with each other, eat, be born, nurse from their moms, watch the moms take care of their babies and they can pet them and enjoy them all while learning through observation," said Simmons.

The petting zoo features the farm's dairy goats, fainting goats, sheep, a llama, a pony, a burro, a pot bellied pig and numerous geese and ducks. While it is common to see parents bring their children to teach them about the animals, when Patch stopped by this week during their CSA share pick-up hours, it was clear that many folks without children enjoy interacting with the animals just as much as the little ones do.

Confessed one visitor, "It's my favorite place. I often joke how it's my therapy. No one can be in a bad mood after being licked by a goat or nudged by a llama."

The Simmons say they welcome the public to stop by and chat, or learn more about the farm.

The Petting Zoo often acts as the perfect invitation for people to do so.

Added Simmons, "We want people to know that we love what we do and want to be able to share some of our experiences with our community."

For more information on the Simmons Farm Petting Zoo and the farm, please visit www.simmonsorganicfarmri.com.