Is there a health risk with petting zoos?
All animals carry bacteria (good and bad) – including us! But there is no need to be overly concerned about any potential health risk as long as suitable precautions and hygiene rules are observed. These include washing, or sanitizing, your hands after touching animals, keeping food and drinks outside the animal areas, and preventing children from putting their hands or objects (such as pacifiers or sippy-cups) in their mouths while interacting with the animals. Children (and adults!) should also be reminded not to touch their faces or put their hands near their mouths after touching animals. We provide hand sanitizers and have signage reminding visitors to observe basic hygiene rules at all of our events, and if water is available for hand-washing, that is even better. As long as people take normal care, there is little risk of becoming ill from a visit to a petting zoo.
