Animal farm closing
Oct. 17—SHIPSHEWANA — A petting zoo in Lagrange County is more than likely shut down early for the season.
Dutch Creek Farm Animal Park in Shipshewana received a 21-day suspension of its Exhibitor License from the United States Department of Agriculture after failing to meet inspection requirements.
Farmer owner Vernon Miller doesn't agree with the alleged violations but still took steps to correct problems seen by the USDA inspector during their inspection July 1. According to the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service reports website, the inspector who shut the facility down has reported to the site six times since she began inspecting it in October 2023. In her first inspection, she recorded 34 non-critical violations and no critical items. In the two weeks prior to that, a different inspector reported to the site three times after citing 26 non-critical items and three critical. Before that, though, the site received a total of six items in a 10-year period, most years having no reported items at all.
Miller filed an appeal to the July 1 inspection the following day.
Agricultural advocate and principal at Punk Rock Farmer Jonathan Lawler is speaking out on behalf of the farm, whose owners are Amish and tend to stay out of the public light. He explained Miller has struggled with his new USDA inspector because other inspectors have seen the same farm she did and had no issues. When they did have issues, they'd often use them as Teachable Moments. The Teachable Moments category was removed from USDA inspections in August 2022 after being sued by animal rights activists voicing concerns over safety.
Still, Lawler argues for Miller that none of the most recent inspection violations mark any real concern to patrons or animals and Lawler explained each of the items on the report.
"In all honesty, we think that the USDA, particularly their inspector, chose this as their busiest time of the year," Lawler said.
Dutch Creek Farm Animal Park boasts a variety of exotic and farm animals in an enclosed facility featuring a petting zoo and horse-drawn wagon tour. Although visitors can also travel around the park in their own cars as well, only visitors who tour on the wagon have the opportunity to feed the animals.
One of the problems noted by the USDA inspector was that the fox self-feeding food receptacles were dirty.
"Food receptacles must be kept clean to prevent contamination and deterioration of the food fed to the fox," the report reads. "Food that is contaminated or deteriorative in nutritive value may lead to weight loss from the animal not eating the food or health issues."
The report indicates an accumulation of cobwebs and spiders inside the self-feeders, but Lawler said in fact the webs are fresh webs created by spiders as the feeders are close to the ground.
Prior to the inspection, the feeders were cleaned out daily, but he upped the cleaning to twice daily before the closure.
That wasn't the only concern regarding the foxes. Listed as a repeat offense, the USDA inspector reported the fox's dig area in its enclosure had been dug out.
"This left exposed dig barrier that foxes could potentially become entrapped in and cause injury," the report reads.
It's definitely a "repeat" offense, Lawler explained, because Miller's fox likes to dig. Lawler said Miller could very well lift the fox enclosure off the ground as some zoos do, but he doesn't plan to.
"In Vernon's mind, that's not what the animal needs to be fulfilled," Lawler said. "Foxes are canines. They dig."
So, Miller placed an attendant at the fox enclosure to bury the barrier whenever it became available, but it was too little too late.
Another violation cited on the report was of an ostrich leaving its enclosure.
"Upon arrival, the inspectors were in the car waiting for the entrance attendant and an ostrich escaped the primary drive through enclosure when the horse drawn wagon exited the enclosure," the report reads. "Facility representatives then herded the ostrich back towards the exit and held it around the neck to lead it back to its enclosure. Escape and recapture of animal both pose a high risk of injury to the animals, employees, and the public."
Lawler confirmed he was told the ostrich left the enclosure, and regularly does so. The enclosure features a primary gate and a secondary one. The ostrich left out the primary gate but remained within the secondary enclosure.
"That's why there's always someone there to manage the gate," Lawler said.
There is an attendant assigned to herd the ostrich back into the primary enclosure as it's known to leave every time the gate is opened.
