Petting zoos

Petting zoo safety

Petting zoo overview

Petting zoos provide people of all ages the opportunity to interact with animals face-to-face.  There are however, risks associated when the public has contact with animals.  Program goals if holding a petting zoo should encourage people to interact with animals, while at the same time taking precautions, when a petting zoo is sponsored by 4-H Youth Development. 

Sponsor education

 When sponsoring a petting zoo it is important that the planners/sponsors familiarize themselves with the basic risk-reduction recommendations offered by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and local health agencies.

It is the responsibility of the MN 4-H Volunteer in charge to apply these recommendations to specific settings and provide basic education to those working with the petting zoo and with visitors (e.g., using signage, stickers, handouts, or verbal information).

• Minnesota Department of Health Information for Animal Venue Operators - This site provides information on:

  • National prevention recommendations

  • Recommendations for specific species

  • Posters for public venues

  • Consultation

  • Additional prevention information from the CDC

• Staying Safe at Petting Zoos and Fairs fact sheet - Provides information to help understand the risks and ways to minimize them. Topics include:

  • Zoonotic diseases

  • Examples of germs that cause diarrheal zoonotic diseases

  • How people get sick from these terms

  • Symptoms in people

  • How to reduce the risk of getting sick from animals at a petting zoo.

  • How to keep from bringing germs into homes
    
    

Extension employee/Minnesota 4-H volunteer education

1. Provide training to those working with a petting zoo to reduce the risk for disease and injury associated with animals.

2. Extension employees/Minnesota 4-H Volunteers who interact with the public should oversee compliance with risk-reduction recommendations and be able to explain them to visitors.

3. Comply with local and state requirements for reporting animal bites, scratches or other injuries.

4. Promptly report any injuries from animals to the individual in charge.  Work with the Local Extension Educator to complete an incident report for all injuries.  If an injury is serious, seek medical assistance.
   
   

Exhibitor (person bringing animal) & visitor education

1. Sponsors should provide risk-reduction information to individual animal exhibitors/owners, persons arranging field trips or classroom exhibits, and persons receiving animal exhibition permits or licenses (if needed by local authorities).

2. Provide this information before the event if possible and also ensure it is available to visitors at the entrance to animal contact area.

3. Materials should be age and language appropriate and ideally should be provided in multiple formats (e.g., signs and handouts).
   
   

Transition areas

It is critical to provide an area for visitors to pass through when entering and exiting animal areas.  This area, called the transition area, between animal and non-animal areas, should be designated as clearly as possible.

1. The entrance transition area should be designed to provide information regarding:

   • Prevention of infection and injury

   • Location of hand-washing facilities and instructions for visitors to wash hands upon exiting. See English hand washing guide or Spanish hand washing guide.

   • Signs posted informing visitors that they are entering an animal area and there are risks associated with animal contact.

   • Visitor handout or poster providing information on “how to be safe around animals” 

   • Instruct visitors not to eat, drink, place their hands in their mouth, or use bottles or pacifiers while in the animal area.

   • Instruct visitors to closely supervise children and to be aware that objects such as clothing and shoes can become soiled and serve as a source of germs after leaving an animal area.

   • Make visitors aware that young children, older adults, pregnant women and persons who are immunocompromised are at increased risk of serious illness.

   • Establish storage or holding areas for strollers and related items (e.g., wagons and diaper bags)

   • Control visitor traffic to avoid overcrowding the animal area.

2. The exit transition area should be designed to facilitate information regarding:

   • Post signs to instruct visitors to wash their hands when leaving the animal area.

   • Provide hand-washing stations that are accessible to all visitors, including children and persons with disabilities.

   • If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.  Advise visitors to wash hand with soap and water as soon as possible after being in an animal area.

   • Position staff near exits to encourage compliance with proper hand-washing.
     
     

Animal area

1. Design entry and exit points to facilitate proper flow of visitors.   Fences, gates or other types of barriers should restrict uncontrolled access to animals and animal contact areas and ensure that visitors enter and exhibit through transition areas.

2. Food and water for animals should not be accessible to the public.

3. No food or beverages should be allowed in animal areas.  In addition, smoking, carrying toys, and use of pacifiers, spill-proof cups, and baby bottles should not be permitted in animal areas.

4. Manure and soiled animal bedding should be removed promptly.

5. Animal waste and specific tools for waste removal should be confined to designated areas restricted from public access.

6. Children should be closely supervised during contact with animals to discourage contact with manure and soiled bedding. 

7. Trained Minnesota 4-H Volunteers/Extension employees should be present in areas where animal contact is permitted to encourage appropriate human-animal interactions, reduce risk of exposure (e.g., by promptly cleaning up wastes), and process reports of injuries and exposures.

8. If feeding of animals is permitted, only food sold by the venue for that purpose should be allowed.  Food sold for animal consumption should not be eaten by humans and should not be provided in containers that can be eaten by persons (e.g., ice cream cones).   This policy will reduce the risk for animal bites and the probability of children eating food that has come into contact with animals.
   
   

Animal care & management

Risk of disease or injuries from animal contacts can be reduced by carefully managing the specific animals used.  Consider these recommendations for management of animals in contact with the public:

• Animal Care – Animals should be monitored and promptly removed if signs of illness are present.  Do not use animals from herds with a recent history of diarrhea.

• Veterinary care – Follow all state regulations on the exhibition of animals.  Health certificates from a licensed veterinarian should be up-to-date according to local and state requirements for animals in areas where public contact may occur.

• Some domestic, exotic, or wild animals are not appropriate for use in exhibit settings where animal contact exists.  The following dangerous animals are not allowed in petting zoos because of their strength, unpredictability, venom, or the pathogens that they might carry.  Species of primary concern include primates (e.g., monkeys and apes) and certain carnivores (e.g., lions, tigers, ocelots, wolves/wolf-hybrids, and bears).  In addition rabid-reservoir species (e.g., bats, raccoons, skunks, foxes and coyotes) should not be used.

Animal births – If an animal gives birth, ensure that the public has no contact with animal birthing waste.  Thoroughly clean after each birth and dispose of all waste products properly.  Events such as this should be held outside if possible, if held inside it poses the risk for organisms being spread through ventilation systems.

Contact

Pat Morreim, program manager, morre002@umn.edu, 763-427-5428