Donkeys, alpacas, ponies and ferrets are among the creatures looking for sponsors as a north-east social care charity looks to continue its good work.
Local people are being offered the chance to support Voluntary Services Aberdeen and the running of its Easter Anguston Farm, near Culter, through the Adopt an Animal scheme.
The initiative will allow the public to help with the upkeep of the centre, including the cost of food and veterinary bills for its creatures.
Donations will also help the VSA continue its work at the farm, which acts as a training facility for adults with learning difficulties and additional support needs.
Trainees on the working farm are schooled in horticulture, conservation, rural skills and catering and helping to run the centre’s popular cafe and garden centre.
Among the animals which can be sponsored at the farm venue are a miniature donkey, a Shetland pony, a ferret, an alpaca, a chicken, a pig, a duck, a sheep and a number of birds.
The VSA’s director of business development, Cary Tamm, said the farm offered huge benefits for its trainees.
He added: “What we do is take adults with learning difficulties and teach them all sorts of skills.
“It is a working farm, and there is a big focus on horticulture and agriculture. They learn a huge range of skills, and it is really rewarding for the guys. They really like engaging with the public.
“The Easter Anguston Farm has been on the go for probably between 50 and 60 years.
“Over the years, we’ve invested in a range of different animals, so we have got donkeys, Shetland ponies, and so on.
“They are quite expensive to keep. Over time, the farm has become not only a training facility but a visitor attraction. During the school holidays, it’s incredibly busy.
“By far our biggest cost is the upkeep of the animals and the veterinary bills. We have made it (the Adopt an Animal scheme) as affordable as we can, we didn’t want it to be extortionate. And people will get something in return.”
Animals can be adopted for £3 per month. In exchange, supporters will receive an adoption certificate, a backpack containing goodies, a picture of the animal and a yearly visit to the farm.
