Monroe Co. Sheriff: Children’s Animal Farm

The farm was started in 1994 in an open area underneath the jail facility. The Stock Island Detention Center was built to withstand a Category Five Hurricane, and is built on stilts, about 11 feet above the ground. Underneath the building is employee parking, and a secure fenced area used for the evacuation of inmates in the case of a fire. It was in this evacuation area, initially a graveled area not used for anything else, that the farm was started.

The farm began as a haven for homeless animals. The first inhabitants were Muscovy ducks and a group of chickens which were plaguing a nearby golf course and were being killed on a regular basis by vehicles. A short time after the chickens and ducks were brought to the area, the SPCA in Miami called and asked if the facility would have space for a blind horse they had found abandoned in their area. Using inmate labor, a pen was created for the horse, who was christened Angel, and the animal farm was born. Since, it has blossomed into a beautiful park, complete with an large aviary, reptile exhibit, rabbit warren, farm animals, and other domestic and exotic animal species.

The Sheriff’s Office Animal Farm features all sorts of animals, both the traditional farm animals like miniature horses, chickens, pigs, goats, and rabbits as well as exotic animals kinkajou, lemurs, capybara, coatimundi, alpaca, skunks, foxes, armadillos, an albino Burmese python, peacocks, and tropical birds. A crew of inmates care for the animals to benefit from the experience. They receive formal training in aspects of animal husbandry which they may be able to use once they are released from the facility. They learn to work closely with creatures in need of the compassion and caring of a human being.

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