Nestled amongst industrial workshops at Mount Austin in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, The Hidden Farm, an animal petting zoo, truly lives up to its name.
Arriving at The Hidden Farm, we did have to do a double take to make sure we were at the right place. However, we could see the reception / ticketing counter on the inside and made our way in.
Welcome to The Hidden Farm
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Before we entered, we had to sign a waiver form and take that to the counter. After paying the admission ticket price, it was then a quick wash of the hands at the taps and then off to meet all The Hidden Farm’s animals!
The area where the animals are housed is sheltered – so there was no need to worry about the impending grey skies outside.
The Hidden Farm has got two areas: an outdoor but sheltered area with farm animals and small animals, and an indoor area that mainly has aquatic animals like fish.
The animals in the outdoor area are housed in separate pens on the left and right of a walkway. Little kids (baby goats) wandered around, occasionally butting heads with each other.
This is where we spent most of our time – getting to meet and interact with the cute animals.
Amongst the first animals that we came across were furry bunnies but we were drawn to the llamas in one of the neighbouring pens. Actually, according one of The Hidden Farm staff, one is a llama while the other is a mix breed between a llama and an alpaca. Stroking their wool, it felt like we were rubbing a wooly sheep.
One that we noticed was that the animal area did not smell bad – a good sign as it meant that the area was clean and well kept.
Meet the Small Animals at the Mount Austin Petting Zoo
Other small animals at The Hidden Farm included a skunk! We were not keen to get too close to it!
Another enclosure was filled with a colony of cute guinea pigs. We had never seen so many at a time together.
An animal that captured our attention was the prairie dogs. These are not dogs at all. Instead, they are ground squirrels – so they are actually burrowing rodents.
But they are so cute and they really enjoyed the attention of being cuddled or even given a gentle massage.
There is also an aviary-style enclosure at the far end of the outdoor area at The Hidden Farm. Inside, there were ducks and a macaw on the inside.
The ducks were so friendly, with some waddling around amongst us. We even had a chance to feed them.
The Hidden Farm also had a Patagonia mara in the enclosure. This animal looks like a hare or a rabbit but it is really a long-legged rodent that can be found in Argentina.
Indoor Section
At the indoor, air-conditioned section of The Hidden Farm, there is more to see.
Housed in tanks, there are various fishes. We even away baby Black Tipped Shark – which we wondered how it would be kept when it grows larger.
There is also some reptiles here, including a Hydrosaurus, also known as sailfin dragons or sailfin lizards. These large lizards looks like mini dinosaurs and are native to Indonesia.
There is also a cafe counter selling drinks.
The Hidden Farm, Mount Austin, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Weekday Prices:
Kids 12 years old and below: RM25
Adults: RM38
Weekend and Public Holidays
Kids 12 years old and below: RM30
Adults: RM48
Where: No 2, Jalan Mutiara Emas 5/1, Taman Mount Austin 81100 Johor Bahru
Instagram: The Hidden Farm
