Lending A Farm Hand at Ft Rickey

It probably isn't obvious unless you stop and think about it, but a zoo is no different than a farm. The animals however, are way different, as we found out on a trip to Fort Rickey Children's Discovery Zoo for 'Farm Hands'.

We started our day with the usual delicious breakfast from Riverside Diner in Marcy. Then Len Cross and his staff gave us "behind the scenes" access to the work that goes on before Fort Rickey opens. Jordan Willson of Rome led us through feeding Diego the goat, Jake the donkey and a host of Alpacas, Goats, Buffalo, a "Justin Bieber" looking Cow, Emus and Deer.

One of the biggest differences is the wide variety of animals and that are interacting with strangers. So they're a little more trusting but when it comes to clean up, Jordan told us "if it's poop, it goes in the scoop."

A couple of school groups spent the day at Ft Rickey as well. The petting zoo was a feeding frenzy where deer ran everywhere, scaring one little boy who wasn't ready for that many animals.

Things we learned:

*Porcupines don't shoot their quills
*Snakes aren't slimy like many believe
*The Wolves like to play chase
*Diego the Goat will climb up your back to reach tree leaves
*Fort Rickey is home to the oldest Spider Monkey in the world
*Most animals are happy to take selfies

Get Ticket Info and Other FrogFest Details Here