Jimmy gets down on the farm this Autumn

For many of us, autumn’s bounty only really begins with the re-emergence of the pumpkin spice latte (other fancy coffee flavours are apparently available), but around the country’s farms and fields there are different signs that the wheel of the year is turning: leaves changing colour, the late fruits ripening on the boughs, and the native animals industriously preparing themselves for the coming winter.

And the local critters aren’t the only ones with work to do…

As we pick up with them, Jimmy and his team are working flat out, taking delivery of some 6,000 turkeys and preparing for the births of a few dozen piglets (in time for them to achieve their ultimate form: Christmas dinner pigs in blankets?).

Meanwhile the rare-breed ewes feel the need to breed, if they are to be ready in time for lambing during the next spring.

The surrounding woodland is teeming with life, and a bountiful summer has been kind to the wild animals. Competition for resources is getting fierce, however, and as the nights draw in the race to gather and store food is on.

Alongside the farm duties, there’s the wildlife park to maintain as well.

With this unprecedented and uniquely disruptive year having taken its toll on visitor numbers, the hard graft behind the scenes remains as intense as ever. We’ve already had a glimpse at how the park is adapting to 2020’s twists and turns in Spring at Jimmy’s Farm, which saw a usually bustling site laying empty of visitors over Easter weekend when it aired earlier this year.

Since then, lockdowns have eased and restrictions loosened off, but it’s impossible to be too careful where the safety of people or animals is concerned.

There’s a potential surprise in store, too, as the female tapir (whom Jimmy has creatively dubbed “Mrs Tapir” on recent Twitter and Instagram posts) seems to be gaining a lot of weight.

The natural conclusion is that she is pregnant – although this would be unusual to say the least, since she has supposedly been on contraception throughout the year. The piglets and lambs are something the farmer is prepared for, but a tiny tapir or two might truly test them.

Animals are apt to defy expectations, however – and not only among the tapirs.

The appositely named Steve McQueen the meerkat has been up to his old tricks again, orchestrating another ‘great escape’. It appears that he has finally been contained – however is he merely lulling his handlers into a false sense of security before trying his most daring feat of escapology yet?

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