Public says animals at Eby Farmstead should be moved and space in Waterloo Park repurposed

The Eby Farmstead at Waterloo Park has been a popular place to take the family to see animals for almost 60 years, but after engaging with the public, city staff feel it may be time to move on.

The city completed public input process on the future of the farmstead in September.

Staff at the City of Waterloo want to sort out the plans of the two-acre space before moving on to the Waterloo Park Plan update, advancing the future of the park as a whole, in 2025.

Two donkeys, one miniature horse, two alpacas, three llamas and an Appaloosa horse are housed at Eby Farmstead from Victoria Day until Thanksgiving each year. They spend the winter housed at private farms.

About half of those animals are getting close to the end of their natural lives, and staff is recommending to council that the animals be moved on to new homes so that the space can be repurposed.

The majority of the 130 respondents the city engaged with through public input agree with this outcome, as 70 per cent of respondents preferred letting the animals retire.

Almost all of the respondents agreed that the living conditions at Eby Farmstead are negatively affecting the well-being of the animals.

The nine animals spend a lot of their time being disturbed by the ION tracks that run close to where they sleep, or the constant foot-traffic of people walking or commuting through the park.

It costs the city around $75,000 per year to keep the farmstead going, and staff say the cost of finding them a proper next home would be negligible.

If the animals are moved out, city staff say that two-acre space could be turned into an expansion to the neighbouring playground or a botanical garden.

City of Waterloo council will decide the future of the farmstead at meeting on Monday.