Uncle Donald's Farm — Attraction in Florida

This place was fun to take my child to learn about and see farm animals. We loved seeing the chickens, goats, donkeys, ducks, pig, etc.

What I was not expecting to see though was a beautiful coyote isolated in a relatively small cage. You could tell that the coyote was distressed and it would not stop pacing back and forth. It didn't help that there was nothing in its cage besides a crate... nothing to play with or entertain itself. Coyotes are meant to be in social packs and roam very large areas, as much as 36 square miles. I sincerely hope the farm considers relocating this coyote to a coyote sanctuary where it can have the room required to roam and not be isolated anymore. (Please look into Big Oak Wolf Sanctuary & Shy Wolf Sanctuary.)

It was also concerning to see two beautiful Golden Retrievers/Great Pyrenees female dogs that were absolutely the sweetest to be locked in a cage in the center of the farm. I was highly concerned why these dogs were being used as "petting zoo" animals, but after I asked a staff member about it, she told me that they were only locked up during operating hours and were allowed to roam free when the business was closed as their job is to protect the other animals during the night. That made me feel better and I hope these beautiful dogs don't stay in a cage for most of their life. They were the sweetest. I see other reviews where people were concerned about why these dogs were being used as "petting zoo" animals, but if the staff would keep them at home or in a better area during the day, or even put some signage explaining that these dogs do not live in the cage full time, it would probably ease the worries of a...

Extremely depressed after leaving here. The 3 women I saw are NOT friendly, warm or welcoming. Went with 2 children, 1 of whom was a toddler just learning to understand English and a woman scolded him for not listening (he didn't understand what she was saying). He was overly excited and given complex instructions and she wasn't patient enough to let me instruct him in the language he understands which is simple, child friendly wording/verbiage. The domestic farm animals, the goats specifically, were cared for impeccably. However, the wildlife in back was miserable. The nocturnal raccoon was pacing non-stop which in my opinion indicates psychological damage from living in a small prison. The nocturnal coyote was doing the same. The birds of prey, also kept in small enclosures, looked miserable. I feel like the wild life is completely unnecessary for this petting zoo and obviously not cared for properly. They seem like an "after-thought" and seem to be cared for as such. The turkeys living next to all the wildlife seemed stressed too. I feel like it's ethically and morally wrong to have predators and their prey living in close proximity to each other where they smell, see and sense one another but can't do anything about it. If this place just stuck to being a petting zoo with goats and sheep, I think it could be better even considering the anti-people anti-children attitude all 3 women have. But, this place needs to just be shut down to the public and have all their wildlife taken away. Stick to making goat milk soap and shearing your sheep for wool. Just my 2 cents. If you're an animal lover like me, you will leave here feeling very sad...

I know several people have bad things to say and my heart hurts to see these things posted. This is a small family owned business that is even smaller now with the passing of a vital member of their family. Animals pass and can't always be replaced. There are many requirements needed to keep exotic animals. The same goes for insurance for outside help even allowing volunteers to come onto the property. This farm has been around for many, many years and I hope it continues to do so for many years in the future. Give them some grace so they can do some small updates. Remember that a farm includes farm animals such as; chickens, ducks, cows, llamas, goats, pigs, sheep, donkeys, etc. This is not a zoo with exotic animals. Don't expect the presentation of these animals to be the same as what you might see at a fair or event that is temporary. These animals here are kept as what the majority of farm animals are. Chickens are in coops/cages, bunnies are in cages, horses/ponies are in stalls, this is real life. Animals are animals, their water gets dirty, they knock over their water bowls sometimes in minutes after just being filled, their food bowls are empty, their poop is near them some more than others, they live on dirt. None of these animals are starving or suffering. The exotic animals they do have would not be able to live on their own anymore either, they got them years ago when they were injured or brought in because they needed help. Do not write bad reviews because your expectations are not reality. Please keep this small family owned farm apart of this...