Animals - the Heart of Nature Camp

Knowledgeable staff and local farmers provide a true learning experience. Daily classes offer campers the opportunity to care for our animal population, including our world famous llamas. This is nature camp at its best.

Caring for our Farm Animals

Children love our farm animals, learning how to feed, groom, and care for rabbits, kittens, ducklings, miniature horses, miniature donkeys, and a pot-bellied pig.

We cannot forget how the llamas, kittens, ducks, pigs, horses, and donkey sated her compassion for animals.
- HVC Parent

Llama Care

HVC's llamas come from the largest herd in New England. Llamas are the aristocrats of the animal kingdom. They are gentle, curious, and obedient pack animals. And... they do not spit as their camel cousins do!

We offer llama care and grooming, llama showing and llama obstacle jumping and llama trekking. The ultimate nature camp, right?

I think I could turn and live with the animals, they are so
placid and self-contain'd
I could stand and look at them long and long…
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins…
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania
of owning things,
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands
of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth

~ Walt Whitman

Life with HVC's Animals

Nellie - cutest camp puppy in the world - meets a baby chick.

At HVC she can discover the outdoor world and develop an appreciation of living things.
- HVC Parent

Pig Who Thinks He’s a Llama?

Hard to believe but it’s true. One winter, Hamilton the pig trotted from his lonely barn on the west side of the paddock over to the llama barn and he’s never left. Hamilton grazes with the llamas, sleeps with the llamas (in a nest he’s made for himself in a pile of their hay) and eats with the llamas. He probably speaks with them too, but we’ll never know what they talk about!

HVC Wildlife

While kayaking on the pond early one morning, Peter spotted this Loon. Here are a few more wild critters we have seen on HVC’s grounds, or swimming or flying nearby!

• Moose
• Fox
• Firefly
• Chipmunk
• Eagle
• Blue Heron
• Rabbit
• Frog
• Hawk
• Ermine
• Trout
• Oriole
• Coyote
• Deer
• Salamander