'Saying goodbye to the animals is very difficult'

"They all have names, it's been very difficult and very emotional for the staff," reflected Dairyland Farm Park general manager Keith Thompson.

The tourist attraction near Newquay, Cornwall, shut its gates for good earlier this month after 49 years due to spiralling costs.

Now a relocation effort is under way to find new loving homes for the 200 animals that were cared for by staff.

Mr Thompson said: "A lot of the staff have been with these animals since birth, from being hatched out of an egg, or being lambed or calving from a cow, to them retiring."

There is a real hustle and bustle in the concrete yards in the autumn sunshine at Dairyland - reminiscent of the days when thousands of families packed into the attraction.

But now there are no visitors, just some nervous-looking deer being carefully herded into a farm trailer.

It is thought there were about 200 animals at Dairyland - including cows, sheep, deer, meerkats, goats, ducks and ponies.

A local farmer has taken on the cows from the dairy herd, while farm manager Ocean Kendrick will look after most of the sheep herself.

Not all the animals have been rehomed yet.

Ms Kendrick said: "It's very difficult for all of us.

"A few of us have been here for 25 years, I've been here for 10 years, so we're all very sad about the situation."

Mr Thompson said the emotional connection between staff and animals was plain to see.

"They're very sad, they've got attachments with these animals," he said.

Dairyland used to employ 45 people at the height of the summer season.

As the business winds down, some of the remaining staff are busy sifting through applications from people keen to offer a new home to their animals.

Among the animals being rehomed are pygmy goats Buster and Twist, who are being taken in by Jane Powell at Perranwell Station, Cornwall.

Ms Powell said: "We already have some goats and we lost one recently so I was looking to get some more and I wanted to rehome some... I thought this was the perfect place.

"We've got some nice land and they'll have a lovely home and I do like pygmies, I am in love with pygmies because they are such characters."

The plan for the site is to keep the cafe and farm shop running as a tourism business.

Space will also be rented out to other businesses and a container storage facility is being planned as well.

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