Pet A Porcupine (& Other Animals) At Kangaroo Creek Farm In Kelowna, BC, Canada

It’s well-established No Home Just Roam lore that I love to pet all the things.

I’m in a FB group called “I Just Know I’ll Die Trying To Pet Something I Shouldn’t‘; it was there that I learned about Priscilla the porcupine (from a fellow brave animal-loving soul) and knew that I needed to pet her.  I think that the universe just brings these experiences to me so I can live my best life.

Only two weeks before we were due to drive from Osoyoos to Kamloops did I learn about Kangaroo Creek Farm. To my delight, it was perfectly along our scenic route! Here’s what it’s like to visit Kangaroo Creek Farm and pet a porcupine, capybara, emu, and more!

Kangaroo Creek Farm History & Location

Kangaroo Creek Farm was started when they were able to rescue some kangaroos from New Zealand. Here’s the story from their FAQs about how their farm and business started and continues to grow.

Our original animals were rescues and came to us out of New Zealand (which they are not native to). New Zealand was in the process of eliminating all their non-native species (shooting and poisoning). If we had not removed them from New Zealand, they would have been destroyed. The rest of our kangaroos and wallabies came from other North American breeders. We keep kangaroos and wallabies strictly as pets. We do not breed them for their meat or their hides. Kangaroos outside of Australia are very valuable because it has been impossible to import them from Australia since the 1960’s.  The ones that were outside of Australia at that time could not be sent back.

We do rescue a number of other species. 100% of our parrots are rescues. We give them a forever home. We have also rescued a number of sugar gliders. We’ve also been “gifted” numerous chickens and ducks and a few rabbits by people who think the appropriate way to get rid of their unwanted animals/birds is to boost them over our fence!

It’s a very large area with plenty of grass, shade, and water for both animals and people! There’s not a lot of introduction (or a printed map, etc.), so be prepared to explore and learn as you go. You get your ticket and then head in to see the animals you want to based on signs on the fences. There are staff in each enclosure with food and information about each animal to help you learn more.

Priscilla the Porcupine

I was primarily there to see Priscilla. Despite their advice to come earlier in the day to avoid the warm weather, crowds and full tummies, I arrived with about 90 minutes to enjoy the animals before closing time. I wanted to prioritize Priscilla and the capybaras (once I saw they were also there!), so I started by going straight to her enclosure that she shares with a few rabbits.

Thankfully, like myself, Priscilla is extremely treat-motivated, so giving her a small handful of peppers and carrots brought her over. Contrary to the popular myth, porcupines do not “shoot” their quills. They’re attached, albeit quite loosely, and with a quick swish the quills will easily imbed themselves in their predator. I just stayed calm and went “with the grain” of the quills and got to pet her. It was both thrilling and sweet. She has adorable little ears and eyes. I specifically wore “animal petting clothes” so that I could lay on the ground if I wanted to (my preferred method for getting close to most animals and for pictures and selfies), without worrying about poops on my clothes, and that was the right choice.

Rabbits & Bunnies

After meeting Priscilla, I wandered over to the bunny area. I wasn’t that worried about petting bunnies for too long, but I’m really not going to pass up a chance to pet everyone. They were pretty full and weren’t that interested in the salad mix I had on offer. But we had a few nice minutes together in companionable silence while petting.

Lenny & The Other Emus

Emus, like ostriches, are large flightless birds that have a bit of a reputation for being grumpy and/or feisty. So it didn’t really surprise me when they were all behind a fence in their enclosure.

So I was surprised when I saw one outside the enclosure. I figured he was allowed, but just in case I let a staff member know. She said, “Oh yes, that’s Lenny and he loves pets and hugs.” This is contrary to most things I know about emus, so I cautiously approached Lenny. And yes, we are now BFFs.

Pigs

Kangaroo Creek Farm does have some pigs. Having seeing some really lovely ones in Utah, I wasn’t too worried about petting (and they didn’t have anyone in their enclosure for that). However, I did get up close and you can see a short video of them snacking away in the full video of my experience below.

Parrots & The Sugar Glider

All of the parrots and the sugar glider are rescues. Most of the parrots prefer to be looked at rather than touched, and even the one that came to sit on my hand didn’t want pets – just attention.

Once she wasn’t as busy, I wandered over to meet the staff member with the sugar glider. Like koalas, kangaroos and opossums, sugar gliders are marsupials – meaning they have pouches. So the staff member had a little cozy pouch in her smock for our little sugar glider friend to take a break.

Then I was able to hold her. The staff member said it would be unlikely I’d get a good selfie without a video… she didn’t realize she was dealing with a professional! Pose, pose, pose! Please try not to die of the cuteness of our selfie together.

Capybaras

I was SO EXCITED when I saw that Priscilla’s neighbors were capybaras. They hail from South America and I’ve gotten to meet one or two on our travels, but this was – by far – the best encounter yet. There were so many and there were babies! Capybaras are more wire-haired than you’d expect from these “guinea bigs.”

Although the staff have buckets of food, they are very judicious with it and don’t just allow guests to feed unlimited snacks. I was given one leaf and I used it to full effect for photos and videos by laying on the ground. Then I made more friends despite being snack-free.

Kangaroos, Wallabies & Goats

With 10 minutes left before closing, I did a quick little visit to the kangaroos and wallabies so you, dear readers, could see the entire site.

Video

Here’s a video of the experience, from feeding Priscilla to watching the capybaras have a swim.

Bonus Pictures

Here are a few bonus pictures with my camera rather than my phone. Sadly, the harsh overhead sunlight wasn’t great for pictures but I got a few nice ones.

Visiting & Tickets

At the time of writing (June 2024), ticket prices are $20 CAD (~$14.50 USD) for adults and that goes up for July and August to $30 CAD (~$21.75 USD). They have different hours and pricing at different times of the season, so be sure to check out their website and social media pages for any updates.

Overall, I had a wonderful experience at Kangaroo Creek Farm and would happily stop back through on the drive through Canada or on the way to/from Alaska. The animals had wonderful care, nice enclosures, plenty of space, shade, and water and a great team of people who clearly love working with them.