New Shelby 'animal encounter' includes horses, goats, a turtle, kangaroos, zebra & otters
SHELBY − Richland County's newest attraction may be one of the most unique and fun farm tour experiences ever, offering visitors a chance to interact with two Asian otters named Sailor and River, a two-toed sloth named Charlie, Lincoln the friendly zebra and a barnyard of other animals.
Horses, Highland cows, pigs, goats, tortoise and more make up Westmeister Farm at 4097 Plymouth-Springmill Road.
The family farm, owned and operated by Shawn and Lynn Westmeister, offers tours to private groups, including school students, nursing homes and church groups, to enjoy meeting and learning about the animals.
Lynn Westmeister said the couple opened the farm to private tours last March after friends encouraged them to do so.
"We never intended to do this," she said on a recent Saturday afternoon at the farm. "We just love these animals and wanted to give them a loving home."
The couple said visitors often tell them they feel so relaxed. There are no crowds or long lines or loud noises. And the animals seem to like the attention they get from being interacted with or offered snacks including carrots and lettuce and other vegetables, which is provided in the tour cost.
Lynn said a lot of families with children with autism also come to visit the farm because it is so peaceful.
Shawn said it doesn't matter if it is one person or a whole family are on tour, but only one visitor or their private group will be interacting with the animals at a time. Photographs are welcome.
"That way we're not stressing the animals out, we're not having a bunch of people through," he said.
Shawn grew up on a farm on nearby Myers Road.
The couple have been married 20 years this year.
The farm, how it all began:
Shawn and Lynn said the farm all started when they bought a horse named Presley and boarded her in a barn that they rented. One horse grew to four horses and it was time to find their own farm. Shawn built most of the large barn himself with a kitchen and special areas for their many animal friends. The couple love to ride their horses when they have time. Ryan, also a female horse, joined the family with her son Colt. Lynn went to an auction and got another horse, a gypsy horse.
"The new barn gave me more room to expand," Lynn said.
And the couple just continued to add to the menagerie which includes Tennessee Walkers, a pig named Norton, several Nigerian Dwarf goats, Scottish Highlander cows, two mini donkeys, two kangaroos, two Euro-Asian eagle owls and an African Sulcata tortoise, not to forget chickens, other birds and some cats and dogs.
The experience:
All visitors get an up close and personal experience where the Westmeisters provide educational information about their loved ones in what they call the "animal encounter" versus a petting zoo, which it really isn't, Lynn added. The tours last up to two hours.
A trip to this farm may remind some of a behind-the-scenes experience at a zoo.
Lincoln the zebra was purchased from a breeder in Texas.
"Most zebras don't like people but she does," Lynn said of Lincoln, who is a Grant zebra, the smallest breed of zebra. "The Grant zebras have ears which are twice as wide and twice as high which is one way to tell zebras apart. She loves to interact with visitors and loves to have her photo taken."
Her husband said Lincoln was bottle fed.
Animals cared for, loved:
The Westmeisters are assisted at the farm by volunteer Mo Gilbert who is a medic at the 179th Airlift Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard.
Amara Hutchinson is a sophomore at college and plans to become a veterinarian. She works at Phillips Animal Hospital. Each of the women have their favorite animal. Amara really likes Vivian, the miniature white donkey.
Gilbert loves the horse Colt.
Lynn loves all the animals and adores Charlie, short for Charlotte, a two-toed sloth. She will be one year old in September and likes hanging upside down on a man-made tree in her secluded, jungle-like room.
Two otters named River and Sailor are very ornery and visitors can come prepared to laugh a lot.
"They can close their ears and their nose to swim and they can be under water for up to 8 minutes at a time," Shawn said.
The otters were busy playing with toys and making soft sounds as bedtime approached during a recent visit.
"They love to untie shoestrings," Lynn said, as the otters did just that to a visitor's shoes.
Cost, how to book a tour:
To book a tour, go to Westmeister.com.
The family farm attraction, open year round, posts on Facebook and TikTok. There will be announcements of upcoming events happenings at the farm post on the Facebook page. Westmeisters' email is lynnwestmeister@gmail.com.
Private Tour Pricing: General admission: $45; Child (4 and under), $20 each. Feed for animals is included in the cost.
lwhitmir@gannett.com
419-521-7223
X (formerly Twitter): @LWhitmir
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Westmeister Farm has cows, owls, a zebra, 2 otters, a sloth, and more
