Report - The Ninth Year

It is now six years since we bought Smallbrook Farm and we are still expanding the collection and looking at future projects.

Establishing the collection at Smallbrook has been a constant battle with the local council planning department, but we have persevered and now have a superb setup with modern barns designed specifically for our animal's welfare. I the Royal Forest of Dean we are fortunate to have outstanding scenery and a wide range of animals. Recently there has been much television coverage of the wild boar and we are fortunate to have three orphans in our collection. Stevie Wonder was rejected at birth as he was virtually blind having very limited vision on his left hand side. Ella Fitzgerald was abandoned shortly after being born and was rescued from the January snow. She is now a large fun loving boar! Latest edition is Puzzle who has only three good legs, but she can still manage to get around at high speed. She has made friends with our pygmy goats and is loving her new found home.

We have attended several military events with Jasmine, one of our camels, and Clanna has now joined her on our llama, donkey and mule treks. Clanna is being trained to pull a carriage and we are confident that we are the only  company that can put out 12 llamas, a mule and carriage, a donkey and carriage, and two camels, all on one trek!

We have reluctantly given up on using Tensing our magnificent Yak as his horns are simply enormous and we are afraid that someone could get hurt when he shakes his head! The alternative was to cut off his horns, but it would be criminal to deprive him of his stunning appearance.

So what of the future? Work has started on a wildlife lake and the camels have been given the task of clearing the head high undergrowth ready for the digger moving in shortly. The local camera club have been invited to record the progress and several television companies are interested. Plan is to excavate the lake and let nature take it's course as the Small Brook and several springs top it up. We have a surplus of water at Smallbrook and suffer from flooding every winter, this should act as a buffer for flash floods.

The giant rabbits are now well established and we will be completing the meerkat enclosure shortly.