Some students have pets, some have farms, and some have their own businesses. Patrick Starr has all three.
Starr, freshman in poultry science and pre-veterinary medicine, has been running his own petting zoo business since he was 13.
Farmer Brown’s Party Animals started when Starr was 13 after he bought his first animal, which was a llama that later had babies.
“Then one day I just thought, if I have them, and people enjoy seeing exotic animals then why not do a petting zoo,” Starr said.
Starr books birthday parties, festivals and other special events. His first gig was at a birthday party in Kiesel Park.
“I kind of threw it all together,” Starr said. “I had llamas, but I got the two goats the day before the party. Then it turned into an actual thing, and I got camels, zebras, alpacas.”
Starr does not have an exact count of how many animals he currently owns, but he has a large variety. Along with the camels, zebras and alpacas, he also owns a baby kangaroo, tortoises, donkeys, goats, ducks, horses, longhorn cattle, chinchillas and coatimundis.
The animals reside on a section of his grandfather’s 500-acre farm.
“Pretty much all of the money I make is used for the animals,” Starr said. “It either goes into my bank account until I have to pay some fee, or it goes toward a new pet.”
Mallory Meagher, sophomore in biomedical sciences, has been friends with Starr since high school when they went to Lee Scott Academy together.
“I helped him ask a girl to prom once using the camel,” Meagher said. “He was freaking out because he forgot the carrots so the camel wouldn’t move. So he texted me like, ‘can you check out of school and get me carrots?’”
Travis, one of Starr’s camels, is one of his favorite additions.
“I love all of my animals because they all have different personalities,” Starr said. “But Travis is definitely one of the friendliest animals I have.”
Starr’s business has expanded since he first began. He has multiple options for birthday parties, and he soon hopes to offer camel rides.
“I get most of my animals from exotic auctions,” Starr said. “Exotic auctions aren’t like cattle auctions. They give you all the information about each animal, and you can learn so much about the animal from the owner.”
Ivy Sibley, senior in agriculture communications, said it took her a while to realize the magnitude of what Starr accomplished.
“The first time I really realized it was more than just him having pets was when he brought them to fall festival in high school,” Sibley said. “People were lined up to see his petting zoo, and it made me realize he has done so much and is so successful.”
Meagher said Starr goes out of his way to make people happy.
“He let my mom’s preschool class come to his farm,” Meagher said. “He even set up a tractor ride. It’s hard to keep that many 4- and 5-year-olds entertained, but he did it.”
In a single weekend Starr can attend up to four or five events. He once drove all the way to Birmingham on a school day because a church needed his camel for a nativity scene.
“I average one party a week,” Starr said. “In December I always have to do a lot of nativity scenes.”
Starr is unsure of his career plans but said he wants to continue expanding his business, which now includes a haunted house.
“I would love to one day own a wild animal safari,” Starr said. “I love visiting safaris whenever I go anywhere to get ideas, and I really want to get a giraffe.”
Starr said he won’t open a safari anytime soon, because when he does he wants “to do it right."
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