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Davis Farmland in Sterling Mass.

A petting zoo with a mission to save endangered animals

Jun 21, 2008 Lee Gjertsen

Visiting the Boston area with kids? Don't miss Davis Farmland, an exciting petting zoo, corn maze and educational farm rolled into one.

The Davis dairy farm has been located in Sterling, Mass., about an hour outside of Boston, since 1846. But its current incarnation began after a devastating fire destroyed most of the dairy operation in 1990. A few days after the fire, friends gave the family three Scottish highland cattle -- unusual long-haired creatures that passersby would stop on the road to look at in the fields. The interest that the highland cattle inspired led the Davis’s to create a petting zoo that would eventually become the largest sanctuary for endangered species of farm animals in North America.

A Variety of Attractions

Today the operation covers several acres and includes a restaurant, an apple-picking orchard, a water play area, a playground and various other activities such as birthday parties and animal demonstrations. Visitors can interact one on one with many types of sheep, goats, pigs, horses, cows and other animals -- including the youngest goats and sheep, who wander areas of the property unrestrained and are known to climb into the lap of a friendly tourist with a cup of feed in his her or her hand. A hay ride takes guests around the farm explaining the different species and the farm’s history. And each summer they build a must-be-seen-to-be-believed Mega Maze out of corn designed by Adrian Fisher, a British maze designer with seven Guinness World Records for his work.

But the core mission remains the same: preserving endangered species of domesticated animals.

Saving Endangered Farm Animals

For most of us the phrase endangered species calls up images of large, exotic wildlife like pandas, tigers and whales. But many species of domesticated animals, raised by generations of farmers, have also become endangered as the farming business has changed from small, local farms to larger, more homogonized operations. This loss of variety is similar to what’s happened with fruits and vegetables, causing a backlash as people seek out and grow “heirloom” tomatoes and other plants. The animals on Davis’s Farmland are the heirlooms of the barnyard, breeds that have fallen out of favor for any one of a number of reasons -- threatening the overall diversity of the species that humans have depended on for food, milk and wool for centuries. The money generated by the farm, maze and other attractions helps pay for the upkeep and breeding of these animals, meaning visitors are doing a good deed as the enjoy the many wonderful treats that Davis Farmland has to offer.

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