Healthy Routines are Important Everyday...Even at Parties!
We provide hand-sanitizer at all of our parties. We also recommend that you have soap and water available for everyone to use after they have finished with the animals and before moving on to other activities. We have had this recommendation on our website before the recent news articles on health issues related to petting zoos. Hand washing is the number one way to prevent any illness and should be practiced after petting any animal, even the family dog! This is the recommendation of various state health departments and the CDC.
While many animals (including people!) carry and shed the e. coli bacteria, it is our understanding from the research that has been conducted that undercooked meat is the number 1 way of contracting e. coli. In petting zoo situations, cows and calves provide the greatest risk of spreading e. coli. We do not have any cows or calves in our petting zoo or on our property.
We are very concerned about safety at our parties and events. We average over 200 parties a year and in that time, we have never had anyone become sick from petting our animals.
For more information about e. coli, methods of transmission and how to prevent it, please visit the CDC's website at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/escherichiacoli_g.htm
Basically it all boils down to common sense...
- If you pet animals, mine or even your own, wash your hands.
- If you blow your nose or sneeze, wash your hands.
- After you go to the bathroom, wash your hands.
- Before you eat, wash your hands.
- After you garden or work in the yard, wash your hands.
- When in doubt, wash your hands.
