A petting zoo (often called, or part of, a "children's zoo") features a combination of domestic animals and some wild species that are docile enough to touch and feed. In addition to independent petting zoos, also called children's farms or petting farms, many general zoos contain a petting zoo. Some petting zoos can be found in city parks, and some petting zoos are also mobile and will travel to a home for a children's party or event. Many areas have a qualified mobile petting zoo.
Most petting zoos provide only domesticated animals such as sheep, rabbits or ponies, however some wild species such as python or leopard cub may also available in certain petting zoos. Since wild animals are potentially dangerous to human although already fed or tamed, the visitors and the animals should always be supervised by its keeper.
Touching animals can result in the transmission of diseases between animals and humans (zoonoses) so it is recommended that people should thoroughly wash their hands before and after touching the animals There have been several outbreaks of E. Coli etc.
Read more about Petting Zoo: History, Animals and Food
Famous quotes containing the word zoo:
“The zoo cannot but disappoint. The public purpose of zoos is to offer visitors the opportunity of looking at animals. Yet nowhere in a zoo can a stranger encounter the look of an animal. At the most, the animal’s gaze flickers and passes on. They look sideways. They look blindly beyond.”
—John Berger (b. 1926)