Kelowna’s Kangaroo Creek Farm will open later this month in time for the warmer season.
The popular family farm – which counts kangaroos and capybaras among its animal residents – will welcome guests back April 29, says owner Caroline MacPherson. Staff have received training not just for COVID-19 protocols but for farm operations as well.
“We just wanted the staff to settle in and get their bearings before the main crowd shows up on May 1,” she says.
Based on last year’s attendance, she’s hopeful they’ll get a good number of visitors.
“The only reason our numbers were down was because we didn’t open until the very last day of May (in 2020),” MacPherson says.
“But month to month when we compared how many visitors we got compared to the year before, it was about the same.”
Kangaroo Creek Farm features a wide array of animals in natural surroundings: red kangaroos, common wallaroos and Bennett wallabies, as well as dama wallabies, emu, peacocks, fancy chickens, goats, parrots, a baby albino wallaby, baby kangaroos and potbellied pigs. There’s even a capybara, the world’s largest rodent, which can weigh more than 150 pounds!
As an outdoor venue big enough to accommodate physical distancing, people felt it was a good way to enjoy being outside while still having social interactions safely, MacPherson says.
“You can get outside, enjoy the sunshine and see some animals,” she says.
“We just ask that people stay six feet apart from others and for you to stay in your bubble.”
This year, the community can expect COVID-19 protocols at the farm and the addition of a dog therapy park.
“It’s not really a dog park in the way people might expect where you take your dogs to the park. This is a space that’s already populated with dogs,” she says.
MacPherson said the therapy dog park’s goal is to provide an additional space for visitors with young children so they can also have the experience of interacting and playing with animals at Kangaroo Creek Farm.
Plan your visit at kangaroocreekfarm.com.
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