Oahu farmer Claude Colton struggles to provide for his animals amid coronavirus pandemic

Colton Farms’ animals have provided countless hours of enjoyment and educational opportunities for Oahu residents and visitors who flock to the 50th State Fair, Fourth of July at Pearl Harbor, carnivals and the Waimanalo Halloween pumpkin patch and sunflower fields.

But Claude Colton has been hurting since most events were either canceled or altered at the beginning of the pandemic, and he’s had to foot the enormous feed bill for his livestock out of what little savings he had and with what little money he could scrape up from the sale of a few animals.

Colton secured a contract for the Hawaii Kai Carnival, but midway setting up, “I was shut down,” he said. “I was affected immediately. Now they’re saying they might not have events this year. ‘Things will pick up,’ people say, but not this type of work.”

“I got through one year without a paycheck,” he said. “Six months out of the year, I work events. The rest of my time is doing odds and ends on the farm. We were really getting somewhere, and then boom, last year hit hard. I had to sell one of my trailers to get through a month. I’m selling off things I worked hard for.”

He gave up a 6-year-old donkey, which he would have otherwise kept, to the family of a young girl who received her as a Christmas gift. And he sold a few miniature pot-bellied piglets to a couple of pet shops during the holidays.

He has lots of mouths to feed with three llamas, an alpaca, six Scottish Highland cattle, four miniature cows, seven miniature pot-bellied pigs, three donkeys, four miniature donkeys, a breeding stock of 50 sheep and goats, rabbits, giant tortoises, about 200 fowl — chickens, turkeys, Pekin ducks, peafowl, parrots and African guinea fowl.

His feed bill runs roughly $30,000 a year. He spends about $700 a week when events are held, since the livestock are showcased in small enclosures and cannot graze, and about $50 a week without events.

And it’s not just feed. Costs include maintenance on the farm, fixing fences, fuel for his truck and so on.

Colton had been bringing animals to school events, which he does for free, to teach and to expose children to various animals they might not otherwise see.

Kids have asked him whether a cow was an elephant just because it was gray in color.

“I’m not just like a traveling petting zoo,” he said. “When I’m at an event, I’m not just putting the animal there. I’m teaching them about the animal, what the animal can do for them and what they can do for the animal.”

Julie Mijo, manager at Waimanalo Feed Supply, said, “He genuinely cares for animals. He’s so good with children, educating people about animals. I think that’s why people are so willing to support him. He’s just a genuinely kind person.”

When the feed store makes deliveries, Mijo says, she’s seen Colton teaching children on-site.

“He’s perpetuating kids’ interest and passion for these animals,” she said.

Even though the pumpkin patch and sunflower field events at Waimanalo Country Farms were held, they were “drive-bys” with picture-taking from the vehicles.

“It was sad to see because so many people wanted to park their cars and stop and take pictures with the animals,” he said.

Colton says he’s basically “a one-man band” and has been unable to pay for help these past 12 months.

Colton has a wealth of knowledge and a way with a wide array of livestock, reptiles and birds. And the pride and joy of a calf born March 1 could be heard in his voice as he shared the news.

Animals have been a part of his life since his youth, spending time on family ranches, caring for injured animals and taking along a pet pig and dog everywhere.

“A lot of stuff I learned was from old Hawaiian cowboys and girls and from my tutu and papa,” he said.

He studied agriculture at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

After that he started breeding and selling livestock at his uncles’ Correa Ranch in Waimanalo.

In 2009 Colton set up a roadside sanctuary for animals, including some abandoned animals, on a portion of the ranch, across from Shriners Beach Club. It became a popular stop for people traveling along Ka­lanianaole Highway, and Colton maintained it by accepting donations.

In October 2014 the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands evicted his two uncles for violating conditions of the DHHL rental agreement by holding large commercial gatherings on the property and for grading without a permit.

So Colton lost the spot, despite overwhelming community support.

He managed to find a home for his animals at the Waimanalo Country Farms, where he’s been since 2014.

He is again hoping for community support to help keep him afloat.

The 45-year-old says that without it he may have to give up his animals and go back to working a 9-to-5 job as a licensed electrician, but it would be a loss for the local farming community, sanctuaries and the greater community.

Colton is concerned that without his involvement, some hard-to-get animals might disappear from Hawaii. He supplies farmers with Pekin ducks and eggs.

And whenever a livestock owner needs help in wrangling an escaped cow or horse or putting an animal down, Colton often gets and answers the call for help because he has the know-how, the equipment and the heart.

“Even the Humane Society doesn’t have a big trailer. Who do they call? They call me.”

People often drop off their old or disabled animals to Colton. He can’t care for them all, but doesn’t turn any away.

Hannah Mizuno, director of development and co-founder of Aloha Animal Sanctuary, said, “He piloted the rescue of Gaia, who suffered from extreme neglect, and her kid Felicio.”

Gaia, a three-legged sheep, was adopted by Mizuno’s sanctuary and is being featured on “Wizard of Paws,” a BYUtv series, becoming the first Hawaii sheep to get a prosthetic limb.

“Claude is somebody who has a heart of gold,” she said. “He’s always there for humans and animals, and I know he has a soft heart for animals. … He always responds to rescues.”

He has assisted Aloha Animal Sanctuary in hauling fencing and large animals. “You can’t transport a 600-pound pig in your car,” Mizuno said. “He’s helped teach how to build fencing and how to introduce pigs to each other.”

Colton says he’s hanging on: “I would never let my animals go hungry. We’re not there yet, but the everyday upkeep is a lot.”

Anyone wanting to help feed Colton Farms’ animals can call Waimanalo Feed Supply at 259-5344 and ask how to donate to Claude Colton’s account.