A Visit With Pancake The Mini Cow And More

Not only do we have the fantastic Pittsburgh Zoo here in the ‘Burgh, we have two charming little animal parks just a short drive from the city at Living Treasures Animal Parks. And not only can you see the animals at Living Treasures, you can PAT AND FEED most of them too!!! (Yes, including reindeer!!)

We have been to the northern location in Moraine before, but we had never traveled south to the Donegal location. This year, we decided to do just that, in the hopes that we could pat their miniature cow.

We were *kind of* successful.

First, let’s talk about the amazing other things you can see at Living Treasures in Donegal.

There are tiny rodents you’ve never even heard of before. How cute is that little guy? He (or she) is a Patagonian Cavy. Don’t you just want one for your house?

There are hugely fat pigs.

There are tiny pigs who look like they are about to drop the hottest rap album of the summer.

Some of the animals are a little too far away for patting, like this majestic bison. These animals are just for looking.

Then there are animals like the baby bears, which are for looking and also feeding. The bears have tubes that you can pour treats into. They are really good at working your sympathies so you spend all of your food on them.

Seriously, who could say no to those faces??

In addition to animals you can pat, there are some animals you can hold. This is a small tortoise, and I got to hold him LIKE A CHEESEBURGER. (That is literally how they told me to hold him. Amazing.)

Basically, your time at Living Treasures is a giant smorgasbord of animal feeding and patting.

A true smorgasbord.

Okay, there’s the occasional scolding of an overzealous or pushy little beast.

But generally, just lots and lots of feeding and patting.

And of course, the cows.

Living Treasures in Donegal has three cows. One is your standard moo cow.

One is this adorable tiny highland cow who is just searching for his hairbrush and his copy of Bona Drag.

And then… there is Pancake.

In his defense, we visited Living Treasures the morning before a huge storm, which meant it was the most humid day of the summer, so I can understand why he didn’t want to come out and visit us in the sun. But I thought maybe I could coerce him over for some pats if I held out some treats.

Alas, Pancake “Ain’t Nobody Got Time For This Heat” the Mini Cow stayed safely tucked away in his shelter, making the most adorable annoyed faces at us that he could muster.

Luckily, this little guy was tiny enough to count as a mini cow in my book, and he was ALL about the pats, so I think this counts for our Achievement.

Living Treasures is a blast. The animals all appeared to be happy and well cared-for. Even in the blistering heat they were friendly and sociable. We really loved spending a few hours feeding, patting, and visiting with the animals.

The season for Living Treasures will be ending in November for both locations, but they run a special event in the fall. In October, they are open from 7-11pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. You can check out the animals in the evening hours when they’re likely to be more active without the hot sun overhead. Check them out at either location (and see if you can get little Pancake to come over for some pats if you visit Donegal).