This guideline focuses on animals that can be used in agritourism or to make the farm more attractive and attract guests. Specifically, the guideline focuses on both common and unusual animals and concludes with an example showing that with a little initiative, a useful tool in the form of an interesting animal can be a tourist attraction.
Livestock farming is an integral part of most agricultural operations. Their species composition is based on the focus of production, and only marginally are they set up for the purpose of guest stays on farms. The agritourism entrepreneur gives his guests a closer look at rural life, farm, and last but not least, livestock farming. Guests should have the opportunity to assist in some forms of care, feeding and work with the animals – milking, wool shearing, they can take part in the production of some products – cheese making, smoking meat or bacon and can then consume these.
The most commonly reared animal species are beef and dairy cattle, sheep and goats. These are ideal candidates for agritourism because, in addition to producing meat, milk and wool, they can also be used for landscape maintenance. In addition, poultry (ducks, geese, turkeys, chickens, pigeons, etc.), pigs, rabbits or bees can also be considered as commonly kept animals for agritourism purposes.
However, the most important animal used in agritourism is the horse. Horse breeding provides a number of opportunities for using horses in spheres other than farming. Horses are very popular in tourism, both as riding horses and carriage horses, and are widely used in equestrian competitions, eventing and racing. They are also used for various games – horse football, horse polo or modern pentathlon.
Animal assisted interventions (AAI) have therapeutic, rehabilitative, educational and ludic-recreational value and involve the use of pets. The correct application of the AAI requires the involvement of a multidisciplinary team capable of managing the complexity of the human-animal relationship and is made up, depending on the type of intervention, of health, pedagogical and technical figures with different tasks and responsibilities. Based on the areas of activity, the AAIs are classified into: Animal Assisted Therapy (TAA), Animal Assisted Education (EAA) and Animal Assisted Activity (AAA).
In addition to traditional agricultural production, operators of agritourism facilities also try to increase the attractiveness of their facilities for visitors by breeding non-traditional animal species, whether they are old or hobby breeds of livestock – ornamental poultry species, miniature pigs, small or endangered breeds of sheep and goats – Quesant sheep, Cameroonian goats, donkeys, or animals completely atypical of the local environment such as lamas, yaks, buffaloes, ostriches or non-livestock animals such as bison, kangaroo or crocodile.
One of the most interesting breeding farms dealing with the breeding of non-traditional animal species is Agrodružstvo Jevišovice. In addition to traditional agricultural production and other activities, such as catering and accommodation services, the company operates a farm in the village of Velký Karlov breeding Nile crocodiles. The decisive sector of livestock production in Agrodružstvo Jevišovice is the breeding of broiler chickens for slaughter. The single stocking in all operations amounts to approximately 1 200 000 pieces. The stockpiled chickens, which do not meet the weight requirements of the buyers, serve as a food source for the farmed crocodiles. There are currently 215 crocodiles on the farm, of which 40 are seven-year-old crocodiles with a maximum length of 3m, which form the core stock of the farm. Another 175 are five-year-olds with an average length of 1.8m. The crocodiles not only serve to remove substandard broilers but also as a tourist attraction, drawing visitors to the site. Organised tours are given every hour during weekdays, and only in the morning on Saturdays and public holidays. Visitors to the farm in Velký Karlov have the opportunity to see 30 seven-year-old and 55 five-year-old crocodiles. In 2013, crocodile slaughter was legislated to get rid of surplus animals.
The benefits and impact you might have from the guideline implementation are:
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The Farms’ Charm project aims to develop learning materials to educate small and medium-sized farmers in possible ways of starting their agritourism activities which will help them not only diversify their incomes but also promote their farm products directly to consumers. All that while reviving the rural areas and local communities and promoting a sustainable way of tourism which is in line with the tendencies of slowing down and staying longer at one area.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. The content of this website reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.