Attractions to Avoid

Petting Zoos

The countless people who visit petting zoos each year are significantly at risk of getting a zoonosis (animal-to-human disease transmission), and children are at the highest risk of contracting an E. coli infection and other infections such as salmonellosis. In March 2006, the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta presented the results of studies conducted in Florida, Tennessee, and South Carolina that examined behaviors at petting zoos and the health risks associated with those behaviors. The results of these studies show that even taking precautions, such as thoroughly washing the hands, at petting zoos may not be enough to prevent people from becoming ill. For example, wiping just-washed hands on clothing; touching toys, food, or strollers; stepping on manure; and picking up food for animals from the ground can all result in illnesses.

E. coli infections can—and often do—result in serious illness and can even be fatal. From 2004 to 2005, at least 173 people who visited agricultural fairs, festivals, and petting zoos were infected with E. coli in North Carolina, Florida, and Arizona alone. At least 22 of those people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening kidney complication that is caused by E. coli infections. A report issued by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services stated, “HUS has a significant potential for mortality and can leave survivors with lasting kidney damage.”

The cruelty associated with petting zoos must also be considered. Animals who are hauled around on the fair circuit endure the rigors and stress of transport in dark, cramped, and stuffy trucks and trailers; temperature extremes; and irregular exercise, feeding, and watering. There’s no relief when they’re unloaded—shuttled from one small cage to another (although sometimes the transport cages and exhibiting cages are one and the same), animals are subjected to a barrage of handling and human contact, from which they are afforded little reprieve. As soon as one fair is over, animals in traveling shows are packed up like equipment and forced to hit the road again. The cycle continues throughout the fair “season,” which typically runs from early spring to late fall.

Some exhibitors, in an effort to justify their displays, make the predictably self-serving claim that the displays are “educational.” But setting up second-rate enclosures on a midway does nothing to foster respect for animals. Petting a snake or paying a quarter to see the “world’s largest rat” is nothing more than a cheap thrill at best—and it’s exploitation at its worst. Because many of the animals used in traveling shows are relatively inexpensive to purchase, some operators do not even bother spending money on veterinary care, because the animals can be easily replaced. Animals left in the “inventory” at the end of the season are sometimes sold for slaughter.

What You Can Do

• Write to your state health department and ask it to issue a health advisory warning the public against petting zoos.
• Don’t patronize any display where live animals are showcased, and encourage your friends and family members to do the same.
• Write letters to the editor—they are some of the best tools that we have for educating the public. Please submit a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, bringing this issue to the attention of people who might not have given it much thought.