They normally entertain youngsters at nursery schools and children’s parties.
But today a mobile petting zoo has come to the University of Leicester - to help relieve exam stress.
The university’s students’ union organised the zoo - complete with a pygmy goat, Shetland pony, miniature cow, black Labrador, geese and chickens - after a plea from a student.
And the unusual venture is proving a hit, with hundreds of students visiting it outside the Percy Gee building, off University Road, during the day.
Bekka Amos, 19, who is studying English, said: “I think the petting zoo is a really nice idea. There's something therapeutic about holding a duck. It's quite calming - in a weird way.”
Rob Hudd, 23, a mechanical engineering student, agreed.
“I’ve just finished an exam and I came out and saw this. It’s definitely put a smile on my face,” he said.
Alicia Rudzka, marketing and communications manager for the students’ union, explained why they had decided to organise the visit.
She said “We were sent a plea from a very stressed-out student last year - Joe McGuire - who is now studying his PhD, to set something like this up. Other universities have done the same and we were already considering it.
“They’ve proved popular elsewhere and understandably students get stressed out at exam time. The majority of students will have exams at the moment, so we thought why not.
“It was a struggle to find a mobile farm company that could come here and we didn’t want to put any animals under huge stress themselves by travelling a long distance, but Ark Farm agreed to come.
“They normally only visit schools and nurseries, so this was their first visit to a university.
“We do other things to help students with their stress, but this was an added extra this year. It doesn’t come out of tuition fees, but from the student union’s general fund.”
Among the other students to enjoy the zoo was Emma Thomas, 19, who is studying physics.
She said: “It's really awesome, I heard about the petting zoo online via a Facebook page, it's a great idea.”
Fellow student Dorothy Windful, 22, who is studying general engineering, added: “It’s fun and it helps take your mind off exams.”
However, one student, who did not want to be named, said: “I think it's quite a good idea, but realistically I think the money could have been spent on something a little better.”
Danielle Elliman, who helps run Ark Farm, which is based in Bedfordshire, said: “In the first hour alone we’d had lots of students dropping by to take a look and pet the animals.
“We usually go to schools and nurseries because it gives children a chance to learn about the animals and what they produce. It’s always lots of fun.”
2014年1月16日，英国莱斯特大学迎来几位特别来宾：牛、羊、狗、鸡、鸭。他们结伴而来是为了“慰问”因考试和论文期限将至而倍感压力的同学们。
据莱斯特大学学生会市场与流通部协调员柯丝蒂介绍，爱畜动物园是学校考试季活动中的一部分。“这个想法来自于莱斯特大学一名学生 (现在已读博)。他在去年8月考试期间，因为压力太大写信给学生会提出这个建议。我们认为这是一个不错的主意，可以帮助学生在考试期间放松身心，今年就做了安排。”
“这是我听过的最好的消息！”有人在发布该消息的网络上留言。1月15日，莱斯特大学学生会通过社交网络“脸书”发布了一则看似不太靠谱的消息：“明天上午10时半到下午3时半，将会有可爱的家养动物和任何为考试或论文感到紧张的人交朋友。”消息很快引来学生的关注：有人热情地询问会有哪些动物；还有同学开玩笑说：“如果有人看到我呆在那里超过1个小时，请你们督促我离开并告诉我‘该学习了’”；也有人惊讶且略显怀疑地问：“这真的可能发生吗？”
是的，它的的确确发生了。1月16日上午，一则新消息彻底消除了有些同学的质疑。莱斯特大学学生会通过“脸书”发布消息称：“动物们已经到达，他们将在上午10时半准备好与各位见面。”有多位同学在消息下留言，以各种形式表达着他们的喜悦之情。有的说：“我热爱动物！天啊，我太激动了！我想给其中的一只取名叫彼得，然后成为它的好朋友”；也有人不发一语，用8个惊叹号来表达兴奋之情；一位叫乔什的同学说他想带走一只鸡雏，等它长成一只鸡的时候再还回去，学生会也积极回复：“抱歉，乔什，可是动物们必须准时回家上床睡觉！”当然也有人因为没有时间参与，诉说着他们的失望：“这只会让我感到更加难过，因为那段时间我有考试。”
