On two previous birthday’s I have been lucky enough to visit Jimmy’s Farm near to Ipswich.
The first one was a family outing around 5 years ago, and the next was in 2021 when I got to go and tickle Tapirs, which was one of the animal experiences you could book.
Baby Bear and I spent around 45 inside the tapir enclosure, meeting Tip-Tap and Teddy. We were also very blessed to meet their new baby, Tobias who was only 11 weeks old, very spotted and very, very cute.
Now it was the turn of my bestie Boo and a mutual friend, Ches to visit the Farm and have another experience. This time it was the turn of the Capybara, one of my favourite animals.
Jimmy’s has a large ‘herd’ of Capybara, the Worlds largest rodent. And they have just had a clutch of babies.
What an adventure!
Marvellous Meerkats
We arranged to meet at 1000 at the farm, before having our animal experience at 1200. That should give us a bit of time to have a mooch around and see some of the other animals.
Pulling up at 1002 (from a 2 hour drive) I got out the wheelchair and motored on down to the ticket booths. This had completely changed since my last visit, in that it used to be a small gated booth. Now it was a four lane wooden structure with separate entrances for pre-booked tickets and those who needed to purchase some.
Atlas Moth
We went through and headed to the customer service section to advise that we were present. Being given instructions to come back a few minutes before noon, we headed into the Farm to have a look around.
There is so much to see at Jimmy’s Farm. Not only rare breeds, but endangered species too.
Looks So Human
One of the most recent additions was a gorgeous brown bear called Diego, who had arrived from Sweden. The zoo he was living at had been sold to developers and closing down. It was a race against time to get Diego over to the UK before entering torpor (a kind of hibernation)
Diego has been given a huge enclosure with trees, hiding places and things to keep him occupied, and a whole new lease on life.
The New Arrivals
Another new enclosure which has been created is the largest Polar Bear enclosure in Europe; The Lost Lands of the Tundra.
This has become home to three Polar Bears and also Arctic Wolves, Foxes and Reindeer.
Tiny Beetles
The first Polar Bear, Ewa was joined by Flocke and her daughter Tala in March 2024. Well we were all excited to see the new arrivals and we found ourselves walking through the farm, looking at all the animals until we headed up a bit of an incline and there in front of us was a huge enclosure housing the bears.
We all stood watching as Flocke and Tala were wandering around the large grassy area together. But where was Ewa?
Lazing Around
She was in a completely different part of the enclosure, where there was a large pool of water, and things for the bears to play with. They were all absolutely fascinating to watch and we spent a few minutes before realising that we needed to head back to the front of the Farm to be in time for our Capybara experience.
A lovely young lady was going to be our guide for the duration (I wish I could remember her name as she was amazing) and took us down to the enclosure telling us lots of brilliant information about the herd of Capybara.
Cute Camels
We knew that there had been some new babies born around December, but we were told that there had been another birth around 3 weeks before, so there were so even smaller Capybara to see!
Bonus!
Capybara Time
Moving into the enclosure, there was barely a Capybara in sight. They were at the opposite side of the paddock, lolling about in the pool, or the cool sticky mud.
Our keeper had a huge white ‘barrel’ filled with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables which she shook a few times and called out to the herd. It didn’t take long for the Capybara to come over.
With a Baby
It soon became apparent that the bucket was the ‘Dinner Bell’ for them as we went from having a single Capybara around us, to about 20!
Carrots, Cucumber, Broccoli and more came out of the bucket and the Capybara were having a complete party. Climbing on our laps, sitting on logs next to us, and generally rushing back and forth to whoever had a handful of food.
Getting Friendly
The babies were a little shy, but even they came over and had a little munch or two.
We were able to stroke, tickle and pet the Capybara and they in turn gave us their love. The barrel was getting a bit lower and we hit the fruit portion. It was like it sent them into overdrive. They literally couldn’t get enough.
Adorable!
The experience was supposed to last for around 30 minutes but it definitely seemed much longer than that. I can’t be too sure of the exact amount of time as we were so lost in Capybara Heaven.
We watched as some of the herd sauntered off towards the water and their muddy little spots which the keeper explained helps keep them cool, is good for their skin and coat and the use it as playtime.
A Herd of Capy!
Watching them for around 10 minutes, we concluded the Capybara experience with a few last pets and then the best thing happened.
During the visit, both Boo and Ches had been able to tickle under the chin of a Capybara. Whilst this sounds like a little thing, when you tickle under the chin, they lift their heads as high as they can and lean into your touch.
Their Favourite Place
I hadn’t managed to do this previously, however as I was about to leave the enclosure, there was one of the new babies. Well, I had to give it a go, didn’t I?
And I am so glad I did as the little baby lifted its head right up and we had a minute or two of pure unadulterated happiness together.
Chin Chuckles
Of course, now it was time to finish off the experience, but we still had the whole of the rest of the Farm to look around.
We headed back to the main area and decided to grab some food.
In My Element
The food facilities have also been improved, with several new cafes and food outlets available, with a variety of options. Pizza, hot dogs, loaded fries, puled pork rolls, and more.
I opted for a hot dog and some loaded fries which had bacon, cheese, beans and coleslaw on.
Piggy!!!
They were epic!
After we ate, we restarted our walk around the Farm.
Bluebell Carpet
This too had also been extended dramatically, Previously there was a small woodland walk through the woods until you get to the small pub which served their special sausage rolls and drinks.
Now, the walk went through a larger area of woodland, carpeted with hundreds of bluebells. The incline got a little steep, but the electric wheelchair managed to make it with a little manual assistance.
New Babies
This new walk took us right to the top of the farm past the new Brown Bear enclosure, which houses Diego. Sadly he was nowhere to be seen, but it was still early and he may have still been snoozing.
Further past Diego were lots of breeds of sheep, horses and pigs.
Playing Hide and Seek
And a lot of little piglets!
I spent quite a few minutes looking at them having the zoomies, playing with each other and hiding in and out of their arc, the large metal pig house. They were absolutely adorable, and I wanted to get in there and snuggle up with one.
Basil The Anteater
Heading back down to the main part of the Farm, we stopped to look at a few of the exhibits that we hadn’t managed to get round. These included Basil the Giant Anteater and two very cute six banded armadillos.
I was getting a little tired and the pain meds were wearing off a bit. Boo and Ches decided that it was a good time to start for home, as their journey was quite considerable.
Six Banded Armadillos
Knowing I had a slightly shorter drive home at two hours, I opted to hit the gift shop for vittles’ before leaving.
Purchasing some of their amazing sausage rolls, for tea time, I also popped a jar of jam and a meerkat keyring into my basket too.
Tea Time
The journey home was pretty uneventful and I popped the oven on as soon as I got in to warm up the massive sausage rolls for all of us.
I know it won’t be a long time until I go back to Jimmy’s Farm.
In fact, the Basil the Anteater seems like a great experience and may well be on my to-do list.
Till next time,
SPSG xxx