Catskill Game Farm

Catskill Game Farm Inc. was a zoo in the town of Catskill, New York, United States, which operated from 1933 to 2006. The Game Farm closed permanently on Columbus Day October 9, 2006, after seventy-three years of operation.

Catskill Game Farm
Entrance sign in 2006
Date opened1933
Date closed2006
LocationCatskill, New York, U.S.
Land area914 acres (370 ha)
No. of animals2,000 (2006)
No. of species150 (2006)

Ben and Cathy Ballone purchased the former Catskill Game Farm property In 2012.[1][2]

The Ballones have developed the former giraffe barn into a hotel. The Inn opened on Tuesday Oct. 1, 2019, following an extensive renovation of the existing building. The Inn features five Guest Rooms and four Campsites. The Inn also features an exhibit of memorabilia highlighting the history of the former Catskill Game Farm.[1]


History: The Catskill Game Farm (1933-2006)

The Catskill Game Farm was opened in 1933 by Roland Lindemann, and was still owned by the Lindemann family, as Catskill Game Farm Inc., at the time of its closing. At first, it held only deer, donkeys, and sheep. In 1958, the United States Department of Agriculture recognized Catskill Game Farm as a zoo, and it became the first privately owned venture to achieve such status. The collection was then allowed to grow more exotic, and at the time of its closing, it hosted roughly 2,000 animals representing over 150 species, imported from around the world.

The zoo spanned more than 914 acres (370 ha), most of which was used to breed animals for other zoos worldwide. Only about 136 acres (55 ha) were available for public viewing, and then only in the summer and autumn.

April The Giraffe (Born 2002)

A giraffe named April was born in 2002 at the Catskill Game Farm.

Upon the closing of the Catskill Game Farm in October 2006, April was first sold to Adirondack Animal Land, in Vails Mills, New York; and then to Animal Adventure Park, in Harpursville, New York, in 2015, where she now resides.

April became known internationally when a live video of the late stages of her pregnancy, along with her birth, were published on the Internet in 2002.[3][4]

Closing (October 9, 2006)

On August 2, 2006, the Catskill Game Farm announced that it would be closing on Columbus Day of that year, ending its seventy-three years of operation. Its owners attributed the closing to mounting financial difficulties, dropping attendance, and legal regulations leading to the shutdown of its Splashdown attraction, though Splashdown itself never violated regulations.

Animal and Equipment Auction (October 2006)

The auction was organized and conducted by Norton Auctioneers of Michigan, Inc., a worldwide auction group based in Coldwater, Michigan. Norton's is known for auctions of tourist attractions of every shape and kind – amusement parks, carnivals, carousels, family entertainment centers, museums, zoos, and unique collections.

The two-day Catskill auction attracted over 1,000 potential bidders from across the nation, Canada, and Mexico. Selling the first day were the amusement park rides, restaurants, gift shops, and related items, and on the second day over 900 animals, vehicles, and farm and construction equipment.

A 1951 Herschell Merry-go-Round with aluminum horses sold for $39,500; a Venture Lady Bug ride sold for $8,800; a Kiddy Helicopter for $7,000; a Kiddy Car Ride for $8,300; and a Venture Himalaya for $7,700. Additionally, over $12,000 worth of picnic tables and benches were sold.

Animal highlights included the sale of two rhinos, for $6,000 and $9,250, to an organization that placed them for the International Rhino Association. A bull elk sold for $1,325, and five female elks sold for $3,600. A small group of Dall sheep sold for $2,500; 10 alligators for $1,350; a white elk for $1,950; pygmy donkeys ranged from $825 to $1,650 each; and a female warthog astonished animal dealers as she sold for $9,900. Five fallow buck deer fetched $3,600, and two groups of Barbados sheep sold for $2,200 each. A pair of bison sold for $1,925; a lot of three wisent for $6,600; a pair of African porcupines for $1,220; an African spurred tortoise for $1,100; and a lot of five guanacos for $7,150. Vervet monkeys sold between $1,375 and $2,200 each. Nilgais averaged $1,350 apiece, and five reindeer fetched $4,725. A lot of three pot bellied pigs sold for $990; a male shetland pony sold for $1,980; llamas ranged from $400–$1,000 each; a male red deer sold for $2,200; ostriches were sold for $900–$1,200 each; and a pair of East African crowned cranes went for $2,300. Also sold were birds, reptiles, and snakes.

In addition to the above list, a southern white rhino named "Boom Boom" was bought by Marc Ecko, founder of the rhino-branded Ecko apparel line, for the Out Of Africa Wild Animal Park in Camp Verde, Arizona. "Boom Boom" died on Thursday, March 22, 2012, at the age of 41, from cancer.

History: The Old Game Farm (Beginning 2012)

The Old Game Farm (Established 2012)

Ben and Cathy Ballone purchased the former Catskill Game Farm property in 2012. They established The Old Game Farm. They have been working to reopen the site as a family-oriented establishment once again, with the addition of a B&B, campground, and RV resort with animals.[1]

The LONG NECK INN (In the former Giraffe Barn. Opened October 1, 2019)

The new owners have developed the former giraffe barn into a hotel. It was the home of several generations and families of giraffes, including April which was born there in 2002. The Inn opened on Tuesday October 1, 2019, following an extensive renovation of the existing building.[1] The Inn offers five guest rooms four of which are named for a former Catskill Game Farm animal, and four campsites. The Long Neck Inn also features an exhibit of memorabilia highlighting the history of the former Catskill Game Farm.[5]

gollark: I should learn Lojban but then speak it badly to try and make the language evolve.
gollark: hElP Me I Am AlteERnAtiNg CaPs
gollark: Eat TIME TRAVEL!
gollark: i have a disease preventing this
gollark: AAAAAA

References
  1. http://www.hvmag.com/Abandoned-Catskill-Game-Farm-Zoo-Reopens/ Nicolette Sblano and Sabrina Sucato. A Massive, Abandoned Zoo Is Reborn in Catskill: The Catskill Game Farm experiences a rebirth as a campground, event space, and upstate destination, December 18, 2019.
  2. "Couple breathes new life into abandoned zoo | Hudson Valley 360". web.archive.org. 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  3. https://www.livescience.com/65682-april-giraffe-birth-control.html Done with Babies: April the Internet-Famous Giraffe Is Starting Birth Control. Live Science, June 10, 2019.
  4. Addison, Victoria (3 April 2017). "April the giraffe a Catskill native". Register-Star.
  5. http://www.theoldgamefarm.com The Old Game Farm

Further reading

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