Mary Allen
A petting zoo is a small animal park. In such a park you can touch and pet some of the animals. Many visitors to a petting zoo are families with children.
The animals in the petting zoo often come from the same country. They are neither rare nor exotic and do not need special enclosures that create a different climate. Examples are goats, pigs, and horses. These are calm, harmless animals who would not easily hurt anyone.
Some animals roam free and come to the visitors themselves out of curiosity. Other animals kept in cages, such as birds and reptiles. This makes the petting zoo more of a kind of zoo.
Why are there petting zoos?
In the past, most people lived in the country, on a farm. That changed as cities grew. Some people worried that children would stop learning about animals. That’s why petting zoos have been established since around 1950.
Many petting zoos want visitors to learn something. They, therefore, show how some animals are bred and raised. They often like to invite groups from kindergartens and schools.