Lynn Closterman thinks of herself as a sanctuary for animals. Just don’t ask her exactly how many animals have found a home at Safari Farm Petting Zoo & Sanctuary.
“I try not to count,” she said. “My USDA inspector knows how many I have, exactly. I get scared, I don’t want to know how many I have.”
She may not know the exact number of camels, goats, kangaroos, chickens and other creatures she shelters, but Closterman can immediately call each of the around 50 animals in her care by name.
This year, the farm has a new name and status: Safari Farm is now a non-profit organization.
“It’s just been amazing,” Closterman said. “We’re hoping that amazing things come from it.”
With non-profit status, owner Closterman can apply for grants and do more fundraising to care for the animals. She also hopes to expand the farm’s educational programs and delve into animal-assisted therapy.
But she says there won’t be too much of a change to what they’re doing already. When it’s time to open for the season, they’ll still allow the public to visit with all of the animals on the property. They’ll keep holding Zookeeper camps for children and adults.
“We're going to offer all of the things that we did before and new types of things, and our grants and those things that we apply for will be focused on education,” she said.
A lifetime commitment
As Closterman wandered across the Safari Farm grounds with zoo manager Leigh Ann Marhelski, she pointed out each animal by name, and how long they’ve been with the sanctuary.
There’s Zonkers, a zebra and donkey cross known as a zonkey. He’s lived at Safari Farm for 21 years.
There’s Max, a horse who came to Safari Farm from the racetrack at Mohegan Sun Pocono when he was three years old. He’s 28 now, Closterman said.
“He was a trotter, and I bought him. He was my first horse here on this farm,” she said. “I had 13 at one time, and he’s the last one.”
There’s a herd of goats of all breeds and sizes, a miniature Zebu cow, alpacas, donkeys and plenty of farm birds.
Then, there’s some of the newest additions to the crew — three baby red kangaroos named Bongo, Cooper and Cash.
Many of the animals living at Safari Farm were surrendered by their previous owners, Closterman said. Like Samson and Lady Sansa, a pair of goats whose first family could no longer afford to care for them.
“People either can't take care of them anymore, or they got animals that they didn't realize the amount of work or their circumstances have changed,” Closterman said. “They recognize that it's better for them to go to a home that can take care of them.”
The staff spends a lot of time educating people about how much time and money goes into caring for more “exotic” animals properly. Closterman said she is often discouraging people from buying pets like rabbits, reptiles and tortoises, especially if they can’t provide the right conditions for them to thrive.
“If you think you can’t take care of it for its lifetime, let’s say 10 years, then go and visit a sanctuary,” she said. “Go and visit a rescue and help them with their rabbits, their turtles or tortoises, because they’re always in need.”
With only a couple of exceptions, when Safari Farm takes an animal in, it will live there for the rest of its life.
Always a sanctuary
Closterman opened Safari Farm as a for-profit petting zoo after she got divorced. Back then, she says, it was just a means of income to continue caring for her own animals. She started with a zebra and a couple of camels.
“When I got divorced, it kind of left me with a lot of mouths to feed and no income. People were always stopping to see the animals, so I did a hand-painted sign out front: ‘Admission $8,’” she said. “And people came. They’ve been coming.”
Marhelski was one of those people driving by the Lake Ariel farm.
“The first time I was like, ‘was that a camel?,’” Marhelski said. “Her first season open, I saw her little hand-painted sign, and immediately went home like ‘we’ve got to go tomorrow, and we’ve got to take the kids.’”
The farm started to grow as Closterman saw how much spending time with her animals affected people.
“People knew the animals’ names and they wanted to know everything about them,” she said. “That’s where the idea came from, it’s what could we do more for animals and more for people.”
As more people came to spend time with the animals, the idea for animal-assisted therapy took root. Marhelski recalls a group from a women’s resource center, and how one of those visitors formed a special connection with Daphne, a goat.
“She sat for two hours with Daphne … just brushing her and patting her, and Daphne put her head on her lap and fell asleep,” Marhelski said. “And you just saw that moment, the woman … she kind of exhaled, took a breath and just seemed like she was at peace.”
Closterman says Bongo the kangaroo has helped solidify her intention to pursue animal-assisted therapy. He’s visited Moscow Elementary School with Cooper and Cash, and Closterman started getting requests from skilled nursing and assisted living facilities.
On one visit, an assisted living patient with dementia became attached to Bongo.
“She was non-verbal, and when she held Bongo, after a couple of minutes she started whispering,” Closterman said. “She was talking to Bongo … it was at that moment I realized that kangaroos really are a way to reach people.”
Closterman knows other organizations offer animal-assisted therapy with horses or dogs, but she wants to see what impact her goats, camels and kangaroos may have.
“You never know what animal will impact somebody and how it can change them,” she said.
As Safari Farm prepares to open for the season in the spring, Closterman said they’re working on fundraisers and grant applications to support their educational programs and potentially build more “out-buildings” to house more animals in need of a home.
“We’re going to be a poor non-profit,” she said. “Our focus will always be on the animals and the experience for people.”
