SHELBY — Otters and porcupines and kangaroos, oh my!
These animals and more reside at Westmeister Farm, a short drive off of State Route 39 on Plymouth Springmill Road in Shelby.
On Friday, farm owners Lynn and Shawn Westmeister welcomed a crowd of Richland County elected officials and others to celebrate the one-year anniversary of their interactive animal farm.
However, the animals have lived on the Shelby property for much longer as pets. For example, Van the red kangaroo came to the Westmeisters in 2020 and started out living in their house.
For years, friends of the couple would come to visit the animals and encourage Lynn and Shawn to open the place up for visitors. When they finally acquiesced, one local visitor posted about their experience in the Ohio Road Trips Facebook group, which has over 1 million members.
The farm quickly went viral across many different platforms on the internet, including one TikTok video that earned 34 million views.
Many guests to the farm come from across the country (and even a few from overseas), but the Westmeisters hope to attract more local visitors in their second year of operation.
Visits to the farm are by appointment only, which means every tour is a private experience. The Westmeisters are currently booked until 2025, but Lynn encouraged interested parties to reach out via social media, as sometimes last-minute slots open up.
Guests at the farm can get up-close and personal with the property’s animals, including two Asian otters, a two-toed sloth, kangaroos, a zebra, a tortoise, owls and a skunk, plus more typical barnyard animals like horses, pigs and goats.
