Exotic auction to feature peacocks, kangaroos, other creatures of all kinds

In less than a week, Pam Petersen hopes to find herself the proud owner of a peacock.

Or two.

Others who attend what is being informally billed as the “1st annual everything auction” this weekend also may have their dreams of owning an exotic animal come true when creatures as varied as snakes, miniature cattle and kangaroos come up for sale.

Petersen and her husband, Kyle, have been in the horse industry most of their lives, buying, selling, raising, training, riding and simply enjoying.

They met at a sale barn in Corsica as kids, Kyle with his dad and Pam with her friends. They’ve been together for about eight years and are raising their kids to love auctions and sales as much as they do.

And in March of this year, they purchased the auction company in Corsica—the same sale barn where they met as kids.

“It was our dream to be the owner of one,” Pam Petersen said.

The Petersens as a family have attended numerous exotic animal sales, but they’ve had to travel long distances for the experience. Most of the animal sales in this area involve cattle, sheep and goats. Having more unique animals will make this a family experience.

“They’re not too common, only maybe a handful that we know of in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa and only a handful of people that put them on,” Petersen said. “This is one of the only ones in South Dakota that does an animal exotic auction. It’s more of a get-together fun event than anything — gets people out and have a good time. That’s what it’s all about. I love the shopping experience of auctions, and I love the crowd it pulls in. People just come to see stuff and spectate.”

The Corsica Exotic Auction, which will run Saturday and Sunday, offers more than animals, or what Petersen described as “antiques, farm equipment, fencing, trucks — we’ve got pretty much everything under the sun consigned so far. We’re gonna have everything from decor to carts, horses, sleighs. There will be a little bit of everything as far as antiques goes.”

More than 200 consigners have signed up to bring items to the auction, Petersen said.

As far as Petersen knows, anyone who buys the kangaroo must be registered. The state of South Dakota allows residents to own one raccoon, jackrabbit, skunk, red fox, gray fox or coyote as a pet and permits “nondomestic felines, canines, bears, weasel family, hyenas, aardwolves, nondomestic even-toed ungulates, tapirs, rhinos, Asian/African elephants, nonhuman primates and hybrids.” Raccoon dogs are banned.

At the other exotic auctions that the family has attended, Petersen has submitted bids on “random critters” but always told herself “no” at the last second. That may change this time. The Petersen daughters are determined the home place, already close to being an Old MacDonald’s Farm, needs a mini-Highlander.

“They are so fluffy you want to cuddle them,” Petersen admits. “It’s still a cow, though. Cute and cuddly but still a cow.”

As for her, this may be the year her yearning for a peacock comes true. She thinks they’re beautiful, and a peacock would be a good addition to the run-of-the-mill chickens the family already owns.

“We need a couple of them running around,” Petersen said. “We could get a female and a male and have more peacocks; it’d be just perfect.”

If you go

The first of its kind Corsica Exotic Auction will run Sept. 14-15 at Corsica Horse Sales, 38994 273rd St., Corsica. Both days will begin at 9:30 a.m. The first day will include birds, poultry and rabbits. The second day will offer sheep and goats, llamas, alpacas, cattle, buffalo, donkeys, miniature ponies and other equines. Both days will include antiques. The first day offers collectibles, furniture and farm items, with wagons, buggies and harness on the second day. A special taxidermy and gun auction will begin at 4 p.m. Sept. 14. A food stand will be on-site.