City staff care for Sibley Park's animals on loan

Jun. 14—MANKATO — The goats are most excited to see Mark Koch.

But the city of Mankato public works operations supervisor is partial to the peacocks.

The male peacock — who's mostly white with teal accents — is a sight to behold.

"When he fans out it's pretty amazing," Koch said.

Koch is one of the city employees who care for the animals and the grounds at Sibley Farm in Sibley Park this summer.

Most of the cows, turkeys, donkeys and other barnyard animals in the park are on loan from farmers or breeders in the region.

Durango and Diablo are the exception. The alpacas are owned by the city, Koch said, and spend the colder months at a boarding facility.

All of the animals arrive at Sibley park in mid-April and stay until mid-October.

During those months, city public works staff are responsible for the animals' care.

Koch is one of the newest members of the care team after replacing a retired caretaker. He's one of a few full-time staff who rotate through the farm.

They are aided by seasonal workers, more often than not young people on break from school. Assignment to the Sibley Farm is a highly sought position that doesn't open often, Koch said, because many employees come back for multiple years.

Their days start bright and early. They let the grazing animals out of their barn stalls into fenced-in pasture areas. And they get their charges' pens cleaned out before visitors start arriving at the park.

Like a real farm, Koch said cleaning up after the animals isn't the most pleasant part of the job. But it's no more odorous than what emanates from the nearby soybean processing plant, he said.

Most of the animals are fed and get fresh water twice a day. The feed is kept in the barns along with instructions on what kind and how much to give to each group of animals. The grazers also get fresh batches of hay.

Visitors will never see staff schlepping buckets of water. Each pen has its own water faucet.

Most of the animals are happy to see a city staffer in a neon green shirt because they usually are bringing a meal. The birds are more apathetic because staff never let their feeders go empty.

The turkeys are the only charges that have more than a little desire to try to escape their pen, Koch said.

Along with caring for the birds, staff also sneak into and out of their cages to collect eggs. The birds' owner comes occasionally to claim the eggs that have been collected.

While doing their daily chores, the caretakers also are looking for any signs their charges might not be in good health. Being less active than usual is the prime indicator, Koch said. The city's partner veterinarian is contacted whenever there is a concern.

The beginnings of Sibley Farm date back over a century. It once was a zoo, home to animals including bears, a lion and timber wolves, according to The Free Press archives. After the flood of 1965, most of the few animals that survived were sent to Como Zoo in St. Paul.

Animals of the mostly barnyard variety returned to the park in the mid-1970s.

The animals stayed at their home farms last year because of the pandemic. They returned this year but with one major change: The vending machines at which visitors could previously buy feed for some of the animals have been removed.

Still, there's a steady stream of visitors to watch the animals. Seeing the youngest visitors is the greatest reward, Koch said.

"It's exciting to see these young kids who don't have the opportunity to go to a farm or see this variety of animals," he said.

He also enjoys the variety of his duties. Along with caring for the animals, the Sibley Farm staff take care of the grounds and the farm-themed playground.

"There's always stuff to do and people to see," Koch said. "It's a fun place."