Rescue ranch takes in Little Bitty animals
<p>These turkeys at All Mosta Ranch in Marion formerly were at the Itty Bitty Ranch in Evergreen.</p>
<p>Kate Borton spends time with some of her animals on Monday at All Mosta Ranch in Marion.</p>
<p>One of the most recent arrivals at the Marion ranch is this little goat from Itty Bitty Ranch.</p>
The Little Bitty Ranch in Evergreen, a nonprofit petting zoo and educational center for children, closed earlier this month due to a family situation, but the ranch’s animals have all found good homes, according to Little Bitty operator Susie Thompson.
Thompson has moved to Washington.
The All Mosta Ranch rescue operation in Marion stepped up to take in three goats, a lamb, a pot-bellied pig and a pair of turkeys from Little Bitty Ranch.
“We helped as much as we could,” All Mosta Ranch owner Kate Borton said.
All Mosta Ranch currently is caring for more than 100 animals, including poultry and rabbits, and needs more hay to feed the extra animals.
“This year we haven’t gotten as much donated hay as we usually do,” she said. “We need 1,400 bales and have only about 300.”
The nonprofit rescue ranch has taken in animals for 15 years, but has struggled financially in recent years because of a deluge of animals abandoned during the recession.
The ranch recently received a donation earmarked for construction of a pig holding facility and that’s nearly complete, Borton said.
“In November our breeding pair of hogs will have a clean, safe place to produce offspring which will become scholarship pigs for deserving first-year 4-H and or FAA students,” she said.
To learn more about All Mosta Ranch or to donate money to the nonprofit group, go to allmostaranch.org.