Meet pigs, donkeys, goats and more at this animal sanctuary-turned-petting zoo

Lizzie Ju didn’t want to start a full-fledged animal sanctuary at a farm outside of Sioux Falls. It just kind of happened.

Finny Mini Farm and Sanctuary sits on her mother and stepfather’s property near Tea and was conceived when Ju decided that she wanted to own a few goats and chickens. Then, Ju said, they started taking in rabbits and other animals, and the rest was history. 

“We saw a need in Sioux Falls and the surrounding areas for people who were suddenly allergic to their pets or they showed the 4-H rabbit and they didn’t want it anymore,” Ju said. “So we started taking them in because we had space for it.”

Finny Mini Farm serves as a sanctuary for animals who need a home, but it’s also open to people who would like to adopt certain rabbits or cats that live on the property.

The unique fauna living on the farm, including a donkey named Gideon and several pigs, caused some of Ju’s friends and family to make frequent trips out to the farm, she said. From those visits came the idea for a makeshift petting zoo.

“It was kind of an accident. I made a Facebook page about it, and there we posted updates on the animals,” Ju said. “A bunch of people were interested in coming on one Saturday. So I decided, well, I’ll just make it an event.”

This weekend, Finny Mini Farm and Sanctuary will host a free Back to School petting zoo on the property, where kids and adults can meet cats, rabbits, goats, pigs and guinea pigs. The petting zoo will open at 1 p.m. Saturday and will include hay rides and a nature walk. There also will be no adoption fees for the event. For the location and other details, visit the farm’s Facebook page. 

Ju said she hopes the petting zoo will pave the way for more events at the farm or even the ability to travel to birthday parties and other events.

“I don’t charge anything because I don’t feel like I need to. I just like seeing how excited everyone gets,” Ju said. “A lot of times, it’s the adults that are more excited than the kids because it’s very hands-on.”

In the few months since Ju and her family have moved in, they’ve rescued dozens of animals, nursed kittens back to health and held petting zoo events. But it’s still a family farm, Ju said.

“It’s nothing fancy. It’s an old barn, but it has character,” Ju said. “It’s not pretty, it’s dirty, but it’s a true farm. It’s kind of the place I always wanted as a kid.”