Multiple animals at a traveling petting zoo in North Carolina have tested positive for rabies, a potentially fatal viral disease, health officials announced. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) confirmed that three baby goats from Farm Adventures tested positive for the virus.
Rabies is a nearly 100 percent fatal condition for mammals, including humans, if preventive medication is not administered before symptoms appear. According to the NCDHHS, the virus typically spreads through the saliva of infected animals, often via bites or scratches.
Officials were first alerted to a potential rabies exposure on August 27, when concerns were raised about four baby goats at the mobile petting zoo. The department suspects the goats were exposed to rabies in late July by a skunk that entered their pen. Laboratory tests on August 28 confirmed the presence of the rabies virus in three of the four goats; the fourth goat was not tested but is presumed to have been exposed.
The NCDHHS is cautioning anyone who visited the Farm Adventures petting zoo in Harmony, North Carolina, or any of its other locations between July 28 and August 27 to contact local health officials. The zoo had several off-site events during this period, including visits to an assisted-living center, a back-to-school event, and six private gatherings across multiple counties.
Farm Adventures acknowledged the positive rabies tests in a statement on social media, confirming that the affected goats, which were too young to be vaccinated, were euthanized to prevent further spread. The company stated that the skunk was promptly removed from the goats' pen, but not before biting them.
While the exact number of individuals potentially exposed remains unclear, health officials have stated that no other animals from the zoo currently pose a rabies risk. The company indicated it would monitor its remaining animals under health official guidelines.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), skunks are responsible for about 17 percent of rabies infections in the U.S., with bats (35 percent) and raccoons (29 percent) being more common carriers. While skunks are a significant source of rabies, over 90 percent of rabies exposures in the U.S. originate from wild animals.
Symptoms of rabies in humans can include fever, headache, agitation, confusion, and vomiting in the early stages. Later symptoms may involve restlessness, hallucinations, seizures, excessive salivation, and hydrophobia or aerophobia. While rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms manifest, a series of vaccines administered soon after potential exposure can prevent the disease. Approximately 5,000 animal cases of rabies are reported annually in the U.S., and about 60,000 Americans seek post-exposure treatment. Fewer than 10 rabies-related deaths occur in the U.S. each year.