Fantasy Farm animals sold

Despite some pre-auction dissent, Fantasy Farm Amusement Park's sale of a variety of live animals went as quickly as equipment and rides Wednesday as owners liquidated the park. Eight deer, six ponies, four pygmy goats, two ostrich-like rheas, ducks, Asian chickens, geese, and peacocks were among around 475 lots of Fantasy Farm property sold at the knock of a gavel. Gary Ward of Pleasant Hill, sported a "no animal rights cults" badge as he outbid only a few other bidders for the park's deer. President of the Ohio Association of Animal Owners, Ward said he planned to add the deer aged 1 to 18 - to his exotic animal farm,

where he raises miniature donkeys and horses, zebu cattle and Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs for eventual resale as pets. Ward acknowledged statements late last month from members of the Animal Rights Community and other activists who threat ened to picket the auction. Poten tial protesters demanded assur ances that animals not be sold for slaughter, suggesting park own ers donate them to an animal rights park in Texas to ensure their safety. "I'm tired of seeing my friends' barns burned down; I'm tired of these people threatening people's lives," Ward said of activists. "These are some of the same peo ple whom I saw at a conference in Toledo say they are against ani mal testing and would rather see retarded children be used for

(medical) testing instead." "No one is stopping any of the animal rights cults from coming out here and buying the animals, but you won't see any of them out here. They won't buy the animals, but they'll tell other people how the animals should be treated," Ward said "I would never, ever support anybody who doesn't take care of. their animals," he added. Ward paid $1,200 for the deer, saying "actually, they're quite healthy. I've seen animals this healthy go for a lot more." Other animal groupings went to a dispa rate group of buyers at prices con sidered quite reasonable. Goats went for $150, 10 turkeys sold for $100 and six peacocks sold for $160. Five geese cost-the success ful bidder $10.

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(Photo, top, is from our 1968 collection).