Nathan and I visited the Animal Resort at Seletar Farmway today. It is a rather small setup nestled in the suburbs of our urbanised city. For once, we are not surrounded by HDB flats or commercial buildings. As we entered the farm, we were greeted by the smell of animal dung. Nathan was really excited about seeing geese upclose. It was his first time having such close encounters with animals.
He kept asking to feed the animals, and was delighted when we were given packets of food for the various animals. First stop - fishes. The pond was rather shallow, and he kept trying to inch his way forward, so I had to make sure he doesn't step into the pond. After awhile, he decided to squat, and was happily throwing fish pellets into the pond. Since he was squatting by the pond, I thought he was safe... so I decided to take my camera out to snap some pictures... the next thing I knew, he lost his balance while leaning forward, and did a forward roll right into the pond. Splash! And the first thing he said after I pulled him out of the water... "mommy, I want to feed the fishes"... and only after that he went... "mommy, my t-shirt is all wet!" This is definitely something that we'll talk and laugh when he's older. Thankfully, I always have a spare set of clothes for him, and so I got him cleaned up and changed into his dry clothes. The only thing I did not have is dry shoes/slippers... which means that I had to carry him for the rest of the outing.
Other animals we saw at the farm...
The crown crane. It is supposedly found in the African savannah and eats insects, vegetables and small animals like frogs. It has a beautiful crown of stiff feathers on its head.
The peacock. Peacocks can fly and they like to eat grain, fruits and seed. The peacock we saw did not open its tail feathers despite the kids repeated asking. It was also kept behind a cage, so I did not manage to take any nice pictures of it. Many more of these to see at Sentosa, and they roam freely on the island.
The goose. These were roaming freely by the pond, and they were making an awful lot of noise when the kids offered them food. To tell a goose from a duck, just look at its neck. It is distinctly longer. Nathan used to get these 2 birds mixed up, but now, he is able to tell the difference.
The rabbit. There were quite a few rabbits at the farm and they were happily chewing on the food that the kids were giving them. They were all kept in cages so that they won't run off and dig holes outside, where they can get eaten by snakes. Here's one thristy rabbit...
The goat. There was a rather hungry goat that was kept behind a fence. I wasn't keen on letting the goat eat out of Nathan's hand, so I let him put the food near the goat, who promptly picked it up and gobbled it down. A goat can supposedly carry materials up to 30% of its own body weight, and is a good climber, even on steep mountains. It has a reputation of eating anything it can find. In the same compound as the goat was a cassowary. It is a large flightless bird, and it lives in tropical rainforests.
The horse. This was the biggest animal we saw on the farm. It was happily chomping down hay and Nathan was thrilled when the horse ate the piece of bread he offered it... the horse took it right out of his hand and finished the entire slice in 2 seconds.
Though I am not really an animal person, and wouldn't normally opt for a farm stay holiday, this short visit was worthwhile. Nathan managed to see the animals upclose, and really enjoyed feeding them. The farm is open everyday including Sundays and public holidays. There is a sheltered cafe where you can rest your tired legs, have drinks and snacks, and also ride a motorised horse for only 20 cents. :) Bring your kids down before it gets taken over by tall buildings... just remember not to let them squat near the pond, less they roll into it like Nathan.
