Labour Day weekend is here and We Are Open. Long weekends often come with a leisurely brunch. Have you ever had a meal so tasty that you just wanted to submerge yourself in it? That seems to be what our African Crested Porcupine was doing… or maybe he was horsing it 🤔😜. He was definitely enjoying it in either case.
#oaklawnfarmzoo #ofz #aylesford #novascotia #longweekendvibes
Fun in the barn today with these Hereford/Berkshire piglets. Fresh shavings are so much fun to play with/in. 😂🤣.
Did you capture any fun pictures on your visit? Feel free to share in the comments.
Video capture by Maria.
#ofz #novascotia #aylesford #oaklawnfarmzoo
The holiday season may be over for you… but for the lions it’s far from over. Many of our creatures love to use retired Christmas trees as enrichment. Sterk, the African Lion, has always loved the smells of Christmas and enjoys rolling on his trees. Excuse the sound of tree clean up in the background. The gibbons hooting were too cute to silence and you have to hear Sterk’s happy grunts.
Video capture by Maria.
#oaklawnfarmzoo #aylesford #ofz #novascotia #lions
Sterk, the African Lion, had a lot to say in this video that was captured just before we closed for the season. We are officially closed for the rest of 2022. Thank you all for coming out this year. Stay safe and warm this winter. We’ll try to occasionally send some winter fun your way.
#ofz #aylesford #novascotia #oaklawnfarmzoo #lions #closedfortheseason
Solstice, Lugar and the rest of the Gibbon family have a lot to sing about… with the change to Daylight Savings Time our admission times have changed too. Last admission is now at 3pm and the zoo closes at 4pm. You can catch these guys singing in person for the next 8 days. We close for the season November 15.
#aylesford #oaklawnfarmzoo #ofz #novascotia
While our thoughts are with all those who suffered damage during Hurricane Fiona, we thought you might like to see these two creature residents. Our emus are loving that Fiona refilled their pond!!
#novascotia #oaklawnfarmzoo #aylesford #ofz
How are you beating the heat? Little James, the Capybara, has a pool but seems to be loving his puddle even more! Great video captured by zookeeper Tammy.
#novascotia #aylesford #ofz #oaklawnfarmzoo #capybara #beattheheat
There’s not much more determined than as African Pygmy Goat kid. Where there is a will there is a way. No mountain is too high… oh, to have the energy of these kids 😂🤣.
#novascotia #oaklawnfarmzoo #aylesford #pygmygoatsofinstagram #wheretheresawilltheresaway
This is one of Sterk, the African Lion,‘s favourite times of year… he Loves his recycled Christmas trees!
This video courtesy of zookeeper Maria
**WE ARE OPEN **
We are open holidays and every day same hours. See our pinned post for Covid restrictions.
Who doesn’t remember playing in the sun on summer holidays and having a cold drink of water out of a hose? That behaviour is frowned upon now by a lot of people but Jonathan, the Dromedary Camel, thinks it’s the best way to drink water on hot days.
Video capture by zookeeper Kathryn.
The African Lions received new enrichment yesterday. Although they find old Christmas trees very stimulating in and of themselves, this particular tree is of extra interest because it spent time in the tiger pen with Zarina. Lions, much like domestic cats, do a lot of scent marking. Scent-marking in cats is a form of olfactory communication. Scent is released from rubbing various sebaceous glands along the forehead, tail, lips, chin and paw pads along surfaces or onto other animals. Dominant male cats may scent-mark through rubbing objects with their cheeks more than subordinate males.
What do you think Sterk is saying to Nyah and Nnenne in this video? Is this tree now his?
Video captured by Maria
This video of Zarina, the Siberian Tiger, goes out to to the Cambridge Elementary Grade 5 grads. Congratulations from our “Stripey” as you head off to CK next year... and remember to always keep your nose clean... you never now when you’re going to suddenly have an extreme close-up. Thanks to Taira Butler for the special request.
Video by Maria
Emus are active during the day and spend most of their time foraging. They eat a variety of plants as well as insects and other arthropods, including grasshoppers and crickets, beetles, cockroaches, ladybirds, moth larvae, ants, spiders and millipedes.
They are also known to feed on wheat, and any fruit or other crops that they can access, easily climbing over high fences if necessary.
Our emu almost seem offended by fresh grass offered by zookeeper Kristen but are quite happy to pick the offending grass up off the ground and eat it from there.
Many are asking.... but we still don’t know when we will be given the go ahead to open. We know you are all eager but we must consider public safety, staff safety and the health and safety of all our animal residents. We will continue to abide by government regulations. (And will continue to try to give you pics and videos to let you see what’s going on here).
Zookeeper Michael captured this bird’s eye view of our lawn care crew at work.... they’re easy keepers and cheap on feed. 🤣
Sophie, the Canadian Lynx, is loving her new pile of hay.... every cat wants a bed in the sun.
Video courtesy of zookeeper Nichole.
**PLEASE SHARE**You’ve seen him roar before but this time Hunter, the African Lion has something important to say! “Go Fund Me” accounts simply ask for you to give. We didn’t feel comfortable with that. This is our solution... which allows you to help us and allows us to give back to you in the future (whether you use them or not or gift them to others. And who’s mom wouldn’t want this special gift).
A Shift to Online
The current situation of the Pandemic has affected all of our lives. Having to close our doors, we had no way for our loyal supporters to continue to support us. We have gone online to make this connection with the sale of gift cards. Purchasing gift cards will help us in the present and be a future zoo excursion for you someone you love. Once we open, these Gift Cards can be redeemed at our Admissions (daily or season passes), Gift shop and Canteen. Best of all, they do not expire!!
Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Please follow this link to our online store....
https://oaklawn-farm-zoo.myshopify.com/
Today’s focus is on our Sulcata Tortoises as they enjoy breakfast. Sulcata tortoises are native to the African savannah. In the wild, their diets primarily consist of many types of grasses and plants, high in fiber and very low in protein.
The sulcata tortoise is considered to be a very important part of the ecosystem that they are a part of as they are one of only a few animals that can excavate burrows thanks to their specialized claws. Other creatures of the desert also seek shelter in the burrows that these tortoises dig in order to avoid the inescapable heat that sweeps through their environment. At the bottom of these burrows, the temperatures are much more bearable, which would range from around 50 to 70 F( 10-21C). This is about half of the temperature on the surface.
Did you know.... A group of tortoises is called a creep.
