P.E.I. petting farm re-homing zebus for zoo season

Brudenell Miniature, a seasonal petting farm in Montague, P.E.I., will be getting some new additions this summer: two miniature zebus.

Zebu are a type of cattle from southeast Asia. Five-year-old Cindy Lou Moo and her daughter Willow are soon being transported to P.E.I. fromCherry Brook Zoo in SaintJohn, N.B.

Paul Matheson, owner of Brudenell Miniature, agreed to re-home the zebus once Cherry Brook Zoo announced its permanent closure at the end of April.

"I'm excited. It's going to be a nice addition to the little farm here and the whole idea of bringing them here," Matheson said.

According to Matheson, animals are currently being re-homed to other farmsfrom Cherry Brook Zoo. He has agreed to re-home the zebus as well as black Indian runner ducks.

Transportation problems

The zebus were meant to be broughtto P.E.I. months ago, but plans to transport them faceddelays because of COVID-19. Easing restrictions around interprovincial travel in the Atlantic region have made things easier.

"I put a post on Facebook ...and within 30 minutes they had somebody else lined up in New Brunswick to take them over," Matheson said.

"Now that the bubble is here, there hasn't been an issue."

The zebus are scheduledto be transported on July 16. They will be featured at Matheson's farm, along withapproximately 150 other birds and animals.

Matheson hopes to open the petting farm within the next two weeks. He is waiting to hear back from Health PEI for additional public health guidelines before he opens.

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