Rabies Warning for Visitors of Mobile Petting Zoo in North Carolina

Health officials in North Carolina are advising anyone who interacted with baby goats at a mobile petting zoo to reach out to their local health department. This comes after several goats were found to be rabid.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reported that the affected goats were part of Farm Adventures, a traveling petting zoo based in Harmony, North Carolina, which recently participated in events across various counties.

If you had contact with the baby goats from Farm Adventures, whether at its Harmony site or during any off-site events between July 28 and August 27, it’s important to contact your local health office to assess the need for any preventive treatment.

Farm Adventures confirmed that four of its baby goats tested positive for rabies and were subsequently euthanized to limit further outbreaks.

During the stated timeframe, the NCDHHS indicated that Farm Adventures held events that involved children and seniors across multiple locations. The agency is notifying organizers of these events and continues to investigate, promising to share more details about possible exposure sites as they become available.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Farm Adventures expressed their commitment to working closely with public health bodies and the state’s Department of Agriculture to ensure both animal and public safety.

The goats involved, identified as Molly, Maggie, Cow, and Uno, were kept in a separate pen, away from other animals at the zoo. However, it appears that they were unable to receive vaccinations prior to being bitten by a skunk that had entered their enclosure. Despite the skunk’s removal, the zoo was unaware of the bites until it was too late.

Farm Adventures noted that the goats showed no symptoms of the disease prior to the discovery.

Rabies, recognized as a fatal viral illness without prompt medical action, often spreads through bites or scratches from infected creatures, with bats, skunks, raccoons, and foxes being common carriers in the U.S.

On average, about 100,000 people in the U.S. receive rabies vaccinations due to potential exposure each year, though human cases remain quite rare. In fact, there haven’t been any reported cases in North Carolina since 2011.