I have never been a fan of zoos. I know that they are important, but I just feel sorry for the animals. You know they would rather be frolicking with their friends back home. Would you be happy if someone plucked you off your couch and put you at a desk in an office and that is where you had to stay? Well, I’m sure a polar bear knows he is not home. I mean, it is warm and there are people looking at him. And where the hell are the daily ration of penguins? Next door in the climate controlled habitat.
I think that many animals are depressed that live at zoos. Some zoos go above and beyond to make their animals happy. I think that is a good plan. Animals need space to roam. I used to think that petting zoos were a great way to get kids acquainted with animals. Well, until my son was accosted by goats.
I think my son, Adam, was 6 or 7 when my mom and I took he and his sister Alex to a petting zoo at a local resort. 
Looks innocent enough. It’s actually a wonderful place, so I won’t mention its location.
This park has many different kinds of animals that the children can interact with. It states in the brochure that you can “Visit our barn filled with friendly domestic animals such as llamas, pigs and donkeys. You can even feed the goats.”
Well, it did say friendly. I mean, who doesn’t love pigs, and llamas, and goats, and rabbits, and donkeys? It was going to be a good day. It couldn’t get any worse. I was with my mother.
Well, Adam and Alexandra were having a good old time at the petting zoo. Here is a picture of Adam still smiling. The goats took a liking to him and the food he held in his hand. There was first just one. Adam was a happy boy. The little goat liked him too. And ate some of the food in is hand. Then another one came and stuck his face right in Adam’s face. And then a third. And then a fourth. Eveyone was still behaving themselves at this point.
Goats about ready to go wild..
I asked Adam if he was okay right before I took this shot. He was smiling from ear to ear. Those goats didn’t scare him. Afterall, they loved him. Next thing you know, there were 8 or 9 goats surrounding Adam. He walked. They walked. They were in his face and after what he had in his hand. And then one raised up on his back legs and came down, brushing Adam’s backside. Uh Oh!
Adam raised his hand with the food because the goats were attacking his hand. The goats decided that that wasn’t too high, we can reach that, and then they all started reaching for Adam’s hand. It was a little bit too much for Adam. Alex didn’t want any part of the goat feeding. She had already been nipped at, and was standing beside me in no time flat. I was getting ready to walk inside the pen to dislodge the goats from my son, who was nudged over by the biggest goat, but quickly got back up. An employee came out of nowhere and shooed them away from Adam.
I was hoping that the experience didn’t harm Adam too much. He did take a picture of a mountain goat when he went to Europe and the Alps last summer. He didn’t run away from it or anything, so that is good. Would be strange to see a 24 year old guy running from a goat. So, he survived the goat attack. I guess it really wasn’t an attack. He was stood on for a second, but no real harm done.
I did see in their recent brochure where they are now having “Animal Encounters.” “Have a personal encounter with some of the animals. We are offering new “Animal Encounter” programs that allow zoo guests to get into animal exhibits with the keepers to help feed and train some of the zoo’s animals! ”
I don’t know about you, but would you want your child this close to a red panda? I mean, maybe it is like a Tazmanian Devil. It will growl, and then lunge at you? You read every day about a chimpanzee that eats his owner’s face. I think we really need to revisit letting kids get too close to animals.
I think we shall stick to not going to any petting zoos anymore. I guess it would look weird seeing a 25 year old feeding goats with the 6 year olds. Well, unless you had issues you needed to resolve…closure perhaps…
Adam, if you need to revisit the petting zoo, just let me know.
Come get your face chewed off by the red panda
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