Petting zoos remain a public health threat
May 23rd, 2007 by admin
We learned last week that two victims of an E.coli outbreak linked to petting zoos have settled their lawsuits against the Florida Strawberry Festival. The settlement amounts were not disclosed but are estimated to be in the millions of dollars. Both victims, a 5-year-old girl and a 53-year-old woman, became seriously ill and were hospitalized after petting goats, sheep and other animals at the festival’s petting zoo in March 2005.
The same traveling petting zoo was responsible for sickening dozens of other people who attended the Florida State Fair and the Central Florida Fair. Lawsuits against those fairs are still pending. The petting zoo- Ag-Venture Farm Shows- is no longer in business. Petting zoos have not been featured at the Florida Strawberry Festival since the outbreak. Unfortunately, petting zoos are still included in many public events in Florida.
Animals in traveling exhibits live dreary and deprived lives. Inadequate veterinary care, unsanitary conditions and the stress of transport and confinement in cramped conditions promotes the spread of disease.
Petting zoos now promote hand washing stations as the solution to E.coli and other dangerous infections, but the only sure way to prevent becoming ill and to eliminate cruelty associate with these displays is to avoid petting zoos altogether.