Observational study of facility practices and human interactions at petting zoos in Minnesota

Human disease outbreaks associated with animal contact venues are reported annually. The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians has published recommendations on preventing illnesses and injuries associated with these venues. The purpose of this study was to evaluate compliance with these recommendations at county fair petting zoos in Minnesota. County fairs within 100 miles of Minneapolis/St. Paul were visited during July-August 2012. Facilities were evaluated on their compliance with disease prevention recommendations regarding: facility design, hand-washing facilities, signage, staff/visitor interaction, and animal care/management. Disease prevention risk scores for each component were created on a scale ranging from ‘not very important' to ‘very important'. A risk assessment tool was applied to each venue to estimate overall risk. Zoo visitors were observed to assess hand-washing compliance and the frequency of known risky behaviors. Thirty venues at 24 county fairs were evaluated. Median attendance was 285 people/hour (range 84–1716). Overall compliance with the recommendations was poor. Hand-washing percentages varied from 0–100% (median 34.5%). Known risky behaviors, such as unsupervised contact with animals (86%) and human food/beverage in animal areas (79%) were observed. The majority of venues were categorized as high risk, with the lowest scores in the hand-washing, staff/visitor interaction, and facility design components. Venues scored well in animal care and management. Despite detailed recommendations, implementation of prevention measures was poor. Most venues need to improve access to hand-hygiene facilities and provide supervision to encourage public compliance. The developed risk assessment tool provided a systematic review of risks at petting zoos.