MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – Earlier this year, one animal farm in Florida made headlines for its rather unique location.
More specifically: the farm is located beneath a jail.
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The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office operates the farm below its detention center, which sits on stilts at Stock Island in the Florida Keys.
The whole thing started in 1994 after the sheriff’s office noticed ducks being struck by cars at a crossing between the jail and a nearby golf course.
“One of the deputies suggested rounding them up and putting them on this unused piece of property beneath the jail,” Farm Supervisor Jeanne Selander told News 6. “We’re 11 feet off the ground for hurricane standards, so there’s plenty of room underneath the jail.”
At the time, the space below the jail was used for employee parking, and a secure fenced-in area was kept in case inmates needed to be evacuated.
The area also had a pond, so Selander explained that the ducks were moved into this space to keep them safe.
However, this led to rumors that the sheriff’s office was taking in rescues, leading to some people dropping off their animals outside.
“The sheriff decided that there was a need for a facility that could take in these animals — pigs and goats and chickens and sheep and ducks and a cow, a blind horse (named) Sam,” Selander said. “The sheriff was an animal lover at the time here when we started the farm, and so it kind of grew by accident.”
In the decades to follow, the animal farm has grown to include plenty of other animals. There are peacocks, foxes, armadillos, exotic snakes, lizards and tortoises — among many others.
All of the animals have been either abandoned, abused, confiscated or donated, which is how some unusual critters find their way to the farm.
“The most interesting one that we have right now is called a binturong. And when I got the binturong, all of Key West was googling to figure out what animal I had,” Selander said.
According to Selander, the animal farm spans roughly two-thirds of an acre, but she’s been using the space to the best of her ability.
“I build habitats in every available space, and it’s quite a bit of area underneath the jail...” she added. “That’s all kind of sheltered shaded area, and then I have some grazing areas and some ponds that aren’t under the building.”
And with the proximity to the jail, it’s little surprise that the inmates at the Stock Island Detention Center have a hand in keeping the farm going.
While inmates typically get offered one day off each week, Selander told News 6 that they often don’t take it, instead opting to help out with the animals.
“They really like coming outside and dealing with the animals and building habitats and interacting with the public...” she said. “So inmates really enjoy it. They’re very invested in it. And when they get out, surprisingly enough, they often bring their families back to show them what they were doing while they were in jail.”
Selander also stated that she intends to make sure all of the animals kept at the farm are well-cared-for. Once they’re at the farm, they’re there for life.
“If I take an animal, I’m committing to a forever home. If I can’t take it for any reason — if it’s something that I don’t feel comfortable handling, if it would be super expensive to care for, if it wouldn’t be safe around the inmates — so I’ve determined all of that before I commit to taking on an animal because my mantra is ‘An animal has a commitment for its lifetime,’” she said.
The farm also offers tours to the public on two Sundays each month, allowing visitors to come in and view the animals. However, these trips don’t cost any money.
“Key West is a very popular tourist destination, and we have a lot of cruise ships, as well,” Selander added. “People will actually Uber over from the cruise ship to see the animals, it’s so well known. It started out as an oddity under the jail, but it’s actually become internationally recognized.”
Instead, the farm is funded by an inmate welfare stipend, which can be spent on programs or activities for the inmates at the jail, according to Selander.
“When I first started and only had 20 animals, that covered our feed and vet bills,” she said. “But now that I have about 120 animals, most of my money comes from donations and the fundraising that I do.”
The farm offers plenty of seasonal events to fundraise for the farm, such as an annual Easter egg hunt and a Christmas celebration.
For more information on the farm’s available tours and events, the sheriff’s office invites the public to follow their Facebook page here.
In addition, donations can be made by buying items off the farm’s Amazon wishlist, which can be accessed here.
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