Jimmy Abma, a fourth-generation farmer, is upset, and rightfully so.
Abma was alerted to a disturbance at his family’s working farm in Wyckoff, New Jersey on Saturday night.
Someone had sent him a photo they saw on Snapchat of what appeared to be a teen riding one of the miniature donkeys at Abma’s Farm.
When he went to investigate he found several teenagers, but they ran off before he could take any action.
And perhaps most importantly, the emotional damage to the animals had already been done.
“All the gate were opened and the pens. A couple of the animals we couldn’t even get close to, they were all skittish,” he told NBC New York.
The animals on the farm, which has been in the family for nine decades, are not animals that are ridden. So when the teen mounted the miniature donkey, it was a health issue.
In addition, to open gates and animals scattered about the farm, Abma noticed one of the miniature donkeys had lipgloss smeared across its face.
Abma explained that the farm and its petting zoo experience people trespassing nearly every day, and it’s like that at farms around the country.
And that’s one of the reasons why he’s sharing about the seriousness of the break-in.
In a post on Facebook, the family explained how safety for everyone is a major concern.
Not only do four generations of families live on the farm, but it is very unsafe for anyone, especially those who are untrained, to go near animals in pens during the night.
The animals’ safety can also be compromised, and in this case it was.
“Our animals are now shaken and skiddish [sic] compared to their normal relaxed nature. This is very troubling to us.”
Wyckoff Police Department were investigating the matter, and according to reports, several teens have been identified.
The teens also reportedly made off with some products from the farm.
As for the farm animals, Abma said the animals would be checked out by a veterinarian to make sure they did not suffer any injuries.
Why would anyone even think of doing this? Hopefully everyone involved is identified and the appropriate actions are taken.
