VINTON–The Little Critters Petting Zoo was such a hit at the Vinton Public Library in the summer of 2014 that Children’s Library Assistant Emily Metrock begged for them to return this summer.
The Little Critters Petting Zoo, owned by Coy and Rhonda Shupe, is based in Troutville and travels to many libraries, schools, nursing homes, child care center, camps, and other venues and also appears at many community events, festivals, and for special occasions throughout the region.
On their visit to the Vinton Library on July 9, they brought along horses, a goat, a chicken, some rabbits, two alpacas, and a Juliana pig—a colorful miniature breed which is not the same as a pot-bellied pig.
Shupe set up fences on the back lawn of the library to contain and shade the animals and restrain the visitors, which included families and children from several daycares.
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