By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

TROY, Ohio — Ben and Kim Osting of Delphos, Ohio, are avid fairgoers and always wanted to have a concession stand at county fairs throughout the state. But fierce competition in this business deterred them from that dream about eight years ago.

They knew nothing about foodservice, but the couple are experts when it comes to capturing, handling, transporting and relocating exotic animals, native wildlife and alternative livestock. He studied pre-vet and biology in college. She was an assistant to a veterinarian.

So, when they accumulated enough exotic animals it made sense to them to display their menagerie at county fairs in the state. They call their exhibit Jungle Island Zoo.

“Together we have over 65 years combined experience working with such animals,” Kim Osting said. “Ben has traveled worldwide tending to exotic animals and I’ve raised thousands of people-friendly babies for use in our petting zoo and other animal-related enterprises. We work full time caring for these animals.”

Theirs is a mobile petting zoo that offers animal educational programs, reindeer promos, live Nativities, party animals, animal rides and other animals for hire. The couple and their two sons attend most fairs in Ohio during the summer months, sometimes going to four fairs at once.

Their farm is called Antler Island Ranch and is located on German Road in Delphos. Antler Island is a USDA- and state-licensed animal facility. From this ranch the couple buys farm and ranch production, end-of-season surplus animals, herd dispersal, exotic and alternative livestock of all kinds. The Ostings supply parks and petting farms with needed exhibits.

“We feature numerous rare and unusual animals from around the world,” Osting said. “Visitors can observe, pet and feed our critters. It’s a hands-on experience thing. We have special quarter feed machines that allow visitors to get close and feed some very exotic animals, some they wouldn’t dream of ever getting close to.”
Each fair stop is different, but under most of their tents visitors will find striped skunks, macaws, ostrich chicks, woodchucks, ring-tailed lemurs, blackbuck antelopes, water buffalo, baby yaks, bison, Shetland sheep, African-crested porcupines, Patagonian cavies, scared ibis, large tortoises or even a horned oryx.

Baby animals are often held or bottle-fed by visitors. Most animals enjoy handouts of carrots.

“Carrots are high in water, they provide bulk and they’re good for the animals,” Osting said. “PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) doesn’t have to come around us because they know our animals are well taken care of.”

Other animals include zebras, kookaburras, Burmese pythons, miniature Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, Nilgai antelope, African Fennec foxes, alpacas, Muntjac deer, baby water buffalo and African pygmy goats.

“We take our animals almost anyplace,” Osting said. “Fairs are our main attraction, though we are requested at summer camps, live Nativities, hospitals, nursing homes, Scout groups, clubs, churches and civic organizations. We first started showing our animals at the Allen County Fair eight years ago. It’s grown enormously since then.”

In the eight years of existence the couple estimates having shown 400 different types of animals.

“People are always telling me ‘Kim, you have the greatest job in the world,’” she said. “But what they don’t realize is I have 400 bosses who require feeding, cleaning and walking on hot days. It’s a lot of work, but we wouldn’t trade it for anything.”