Taking the kids to see the kids (and bunnies and chicks)

Spring gets pretty adorable with the appearance of fluffy yellow chicks, little pink piglets and balls of fur otherwise known as bunnies.

Even urban kids can get their baby-animal fix at local parks and farms, where the bundles of furry joy start arriving this month through early summer.

At Northwest Trek wildlife park in Eatonville, "it's pretty cool the way kids get into the baby animals," said head keeper Ed Cleveland. The park expects baby bighorn sheep, bison, mountain goats and Roosevelt elk in its free-roaming area. "I guess it's because the animals are kinda small compared to the adults and they can relate to that. The little guys are not as overwhelming as a 3,000-pound bison bull. And let's face it — babies are just cute."

Children get a kick out of hearing that goat babies are called kids, just like them, said Pam McMahon, farm coordinator at Redmond's Farrel-McWhirter Park.

The farm is currently home to bunnies, chicks and kids, with piglets expected soon. The park won't have lambs this year but may see another litter of piglets as McMahon rotates pregnant sows in.

If children visit a petting zoo or touch animals in their pens, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise washing hands well afterward to avoid transmission of E. coli from farm animals. Families also shouldn't eat, drink or have pacifiers in farm areas, according to the CDC.

One place folks won't find baby animals is the Woodland Park Zoo. Animals are in managed breeding programs, so births don't occur every spring, a spokeswoman explained.

Here are some spots to check out those babies:

Farrel-McWhirter Park

19545 Redmond Road, Redmond, 425-556-2300. Animals — including kids, chicks and bunnies — are out for viewing 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. year-round. Free. The park offers an "animal babies" class for preschoolers each spring, but this year's programs are already full.

Forest Park

802 Mukilteo Blvd., Everett, 425-257-8300 or www.ci.everett.wa.us. The Animal Farm petting zoo opens June 3 and runs 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily until Aug. 20. Free. It typically has goats, pigs, calves, bunnies, chickens, ducks and ponies, many walking around the fenced barnyard freely.

Kelsey Creek Park

410 130th Place S.E., Bellevue, 425-452-7688. Animals, usually including chicks, (goat) kids, piglets or a calf, are out for viewing 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. daily. Free. Special event: Wild-n-Wooly sheep shearing, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. April 29, with pony rides, food and crafts.

Northwest Trek

11610 Trek Drive E., Eatonville, 360-832-6117 or www.nwtrek.org. Open 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays and 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. weekends through June 30; 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. daily through the summer. $12 adults, $8 ages 5 to 12 and $5 ages 3-4. Admission includes a tram tour through the 435-acre free-roaming area. The animal-care staff expects these probable birthdays: bighorn sheep, now through May; bison, now through July; mountain goats and Roosevelt elk, June through July. "Since some of the moms tend to hide the babies when they are very small, I would suggest late May into June for better sightings," said Cherilyn Williams, public relations coordinator. In the park's zoo area, a wolverine kit may be out in early June. She was born in February but requires round-the-clock care and cannot be on exhibit yet.

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

5400 N. Pearl St., Tacoma, 253-591-5337 or www.pdza.org. Open 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily until May 26 and then until 6 p.m. through the summer. $10 adults, $8 youth ages 4-12, free age 3 and under. The zoo has two baby Parma wallabies (called joeys) in the Kids' Zone. "Parma wallabies are the smallest of the kangaroo family," explained Carolyn Cox, public-relations coordinator. "One of the joeys has completely emerged; the other can be seen peeking out of its mama's pouch. Very cute." Cox said there's a chance the zoo might have penguin chicks again (it has the past three years) but it's too early to tell yet. Zoo keepers haven't observed any eggs.

Remlinger Farms

32610 N.E. 32nd St., Carnation, 425-333-4135 or www.remlingerfarms.com. The Country Fair Family Fun Park features a barn area with baby animals, usually kids, lambs, chicks, ducklings, goslings, bunnies and a calf. "This year again our male emu is setting on eggs very earnestly so we are hoping he will hatch baby emus for us," noted co-owner Bonnie Remlinger. The fun park opens May 13; hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. weekends only through Memorial Day, when it opens daily. $10 per person ($12 per person for Strawberry Festival on June weekends).

Stephanie Dunnewind: sdunnewind@seattletimes.com or 206-464-2091