In the very best of the late winter days, where most can expect temperatures well into the teens, the only people who are outside are those who actually need to be outside. Despite clear threats by nature, there remain plenty of organizations willing to brave the snow and liven up this dreary month of January.
One of these organizations is the Maine Animal Club.
Yes, the Maine Animal Club (MAC), a group composed of what appears to mainly be animal science students, is back from a rather long hiatus to kick off the end of January with their “Witter Wonderland” event, just off College Ave at the J. Franklin Witter Teaching & Research Center, more simply known as “Witter Farm.”
The short event was hosted by the facility on Jan. 31, which featured an assortment of farm-themed games, foods, crafts and their lovely animals. This assortment included a practical herd of Holstein cattle and a handful of horses. Attendance was fair, as the winter months do not often yield the highest crowds.
Club member Logan Beaulieu corroborated this, saying, “There isn’t usually the biggest turnout in the winter, but it’s always been good in the Fall!”
Now, the MAC itself does not stop at only large public events; all the same, they engage in other ventures that are prudent to all the natural sciences, most of which revolve around animal research and extend to more community-centric endeavors. For example, their most recent venture is the formation of a partnership with animal shelters to train orphaned pets and hopefully allow them to be more easily adopted.
The club also engages in a myriad of experimental research projects, including the testing of livestock wellbeing methods, accommodations and even an automated dairy-extraction machine, aptly named “The Robot.” It is one of possibly only two in the entire state, and it is being used to milk cattle more easily.
The event itself hosted a light refreshment table and a delightful (though a tad dreary) arts–and–crafts activity in which event-goers could create snowflake chains and even write letters to the various cows in the university’s possession.
Onward from that, a small barn which housed three calves was open for all to come and pet. Adjacent were livestock pens, housing cows of all sizes. All are free to be pet by anyone.
“They were raised around people, so they’re super friendly to everyone,” said Emily Tucker, a club member and Senior animal sciences pre-vet student.
Additionally, the event hosted plenty of farm-related games like Pin the Tail on the Horse, Lasso the Cow and The Farmer’s Challenge, as the farmer was the one who dictated what the challenge was. Refreshments were made available, as well as some lovely cow calendars. Overall, this was a quaint and pleasant event, with fulfilling activities and friendly faces, though the lack of attendees was a tad disheartening.
