The Catalyst / Cadence Goblirsch

A petting zoo goat seems to smile or maybe flinch.

Imagine being trapped in a room with no way out. You are squished together with others, and a million hands are grabbing you. Your heart is racing, you’re being chased, and kids are trying to pick you up. Now imagine having to go through this every day of your life.

We have all been to some sort of petting zoo before. They are a popular form of entertainment for kids. Unfortunately, children of young ages often can’t see the real matter behind things like this. Maybe you’ve grown up with a positive view on petting zoos, but the truth is that they are inhumane.

How can we be sure that the animals are treated rightly? When you go to a petting zoo, you see the exterior: cute animals and smiling employees. But, as the customers, we have no way of knowing what happens when the day is over. Are those animals taken home and treated appropriately, or are they thrown into a cage until tomorrow?

Author and Certified Cat Behavior Consultant Marilyn Kreiger says, “For the animals, it can be very stressful, especially if it’s not controlled. The space is limited in petting zoos, and I’m opposed to that. Animals need to have space. They need to be able to get away, to retreat, and petting zoos do not allow that. I don’t like to have animals in situations where they’re stressed – especially chronic stress. There can also be problems with over-feeding these animals…”

Caring for animals properly requires a great amount of effort. It takes a lot of responsibility to run a petting zoo correctly. People running petting zoos are not doing it for us or for the animals – they are doing it for the money. People like this most likely will not take the time to care for the animals. We look at the animals and see adorable creatures, but people who run petting zoos look at the animals and see dollar signs.

Similarly, when a pet gets sick, most owners take it to the veterinarian. It’s hard to believe that petting zoos are consistently taking all of their animals to the vet when they aren’t well. They have all different kinds of animals, ranging from goats and pigs to rabbits and ducks. Are they really taking one of their $30.00 rabbits to a $150.00 vet visit?

There is no way to guarantee that the animals are being treated well, or getting the resources they need to be healthy. Furthermore, the animals at petting zoos are often stressed out. It is easy for them to get overwhelmed when lots of people are trying to touch them at once. Wild animals do not and should not want to be pet, handled or touched in the way that petting zoos are promoting.

You may recall NDB’s recent petting zoo that took place on Wellness Wednesday. While under different circumstances it could have potentially been a fun or relaxing experience, it only left many students feeling more stressed. In reality, bunnies were being dropped, ducks were being chased, and animals were getting crowded. Seeing animals get mistreated did not result in students feeling happier.

Up until this point, I had always thought favorably of petting zoos. My memories of them as a younger kid had set a positive view from an early age. But, seeing the things that happened at this petting zoo only upset me and opened my eyes. Running a humane petting zoo is nearly impossible.

Petting zoos are cruel and unethical. On the surface, petting zoos look like an innocent way to pass time. However, animals suffering their whole lives are not worth humans getting an hour of entertainment.