Petting Zoo & Pony Rides

SAFE INTERACTIONS WITH ANIMALS

Healthy animals and bugs may naturally carry diseases that can make you sick. These are known as zoonotic diseases. While this list is not all inclusive, some of the most common zoonotic diseases and their carriers include:

• Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which you can get from a tick bite.
• West Nile virus, which you can get from a mosquito bite.
• Salmonella infection, which you can get after handling a baby chick, chicken, bird, duck, frog, turtle, or snake.
• E. coli and Lysteria infections, which you can catch if you touch almost any type of living animal, but are most often associated with cows, sheep, and goats.

Bites and direct contact with animals are not the only way diseases get transmitted. You can also accidentally come into contact with germs by touching surfaces in or around a petting zoo, animal living quarters, or any other area where animals or their feces have been in contact. These types of germs most often are shed in an animals feces and then people become sick by accidentally consuming them by putting fingers or other objects in their mouths.

Thankfully, there are things you can do to help protect yourself, your children, and others from contracting a zoonotic diseases.

• Closely supervise children in animal areas.
• Avoid putting things in your mouth when in or around animal areas.
• No food, drinks, baby bottles, pacifiers, toys, or strollers should be in animal areas.
• Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds after being around animals or animal areas.
• Hand-washing sinks are located at the entrance/exit-ways of Lucky's Barnyard and at nearby restroom facilities. Additionally, hand-sanitizing stations can be located throughout the facility. Hand sanitizer should only be used as a supplement to preventative measures until you can wash with soap and water, as sanitizer does not effectively remove all dirt and debris from hands.
• Properly sanitize any personal belongings such as shoes, strollers and clothing to kill germs that might have been transferred through contact with animals, their bedding, or surroundings.
• Protect yourself from bug bites by using repellent on skin not covered by clothes or shoes.
• Check for ticks after you've been outdoors.

It's important to remember that anyone can become sick from a zoonotic disease, including healthy people. However, some people may be more at risk than others and should take steps to protect themselves or family members. These people are more likely than others to get really sick, and even die from infection with certain diseases. These groups of people include:

• Children younger than 5
• Adults older than 65
• Pregnant women
• People with weakened immune systems