Article About Zoo Health Hazards?

D.,

I haven't ever head of such advice, my 3 DD's have all been to the zoo within their first year of life. I hope you find the article you are looking for, and that it isn't true! Good luck and please post if you find it.

C.
Mommy to Jessie, Katie and Julia
www.TimetoChangetheDiapers.com
Adorable, affordable cloth diapers and reusable items for babies, kids and Moms!

Hi D.,

I have never read or heard of this article and I strongly disagree with it. I work at the Bronx Zoo and there are kids under 3 there all the time. Also, there are great activities and very safe exhibits. I brought my daughter who is under 3 and she loves it. This article may be based on the safety of the zoo and its exhibits since every zoo and they way they have thier exhibits set up is different. You should go once and see how you like it .

Hi D.-
I heard about these health hazzards too. As far as I know it's only "petting zoos" The problem is that the animals are "dirty" because the conditions they live in are unsanitary, and children have a tendency to pet the animals then put their hands in their mouth without washing.
Maybe you should ask your pediatrician. When I take my son to places that contain animals, I make sure I bring lots of antibacterial hand wash, and constantly wash his hands.

Completely ignore what you read, D.. We've taken our daughter to the zoo many times since she was less than a year old, and have never had a single health or safety issue. We love going! As long as you take the obvious steps such as keeping a pack of wipes on hand to keep little hands free of germs, as well as following the safety guidelines that the zoo sets, your family will surely have a worry-free wonderful time.

Oh good gosh! Take your children to the zoo! They have a higher chance of catching an illness from Chucky Cheese or eating out at a restaurant. It was mainly just the petting zoos/farm animals that had a chance of being risky(I think because a couple kids caught salmonella. The same thing you can catch from consuming meat, icecream, eggs, even produce). I took my son to the zoo a couple times and he's only 2. He fed the giraffes and everything. Just wash his hands after or before he eats anything. The zoo is a great experience for kids. Everytime we have gone, there were tons of little kids. Unfortunately, everything we touch in this world has germs/bacteria on it, which is not a bad thing. It actually makes our immune system stronger. The trick to not getting sick...Build up your immune system and wash your hands with soap and water. And go easy on "antibacterial" stuff. It does more harm than good in the long run. Plain old soap does wonders.

http://www.peta.org/mc/pettingzoofactsheet.pdf

whnever I have a question, I google it and usually come up with the responses I need.

Like Karen R, I have also hear that it is not advisable to take a child under 3 to petting zoos for the reason she stated.
As far as going and walking around the zoo, that is crazy. Your child has a better chance of getting sick going to a toddler Gym class or playing in a ball or sand pit. Imagine all the leaky diapers, runny noses and drool they come in contact with there. Yuck! In all the times I have taken my boys to the zoo they have never come down with a infection that is spread by animals and I have never hear of any of their friends being infected with anything while visiting a zoo. But I can with out any doubt state that they have come down with everything from croup to coxsackie while attending mommy and me classes and preschool.
Go enjoy the zoo with your little one just bring the antibacterial wipes and gel. There are a lot of other kiddies running around touching the railings, monorails and hands on exhibits. Have fun.

hi D., there was some fuss last summer over kids getting sick from petting zoos. makes sense, but i think the mall is almost as gross, and playgrounds, daycare, etc as well. it is one of our favorite things to do. just use common sense and stay vigilant about washing their hands. keep a close eye because you know they will be picking stuff up and trying to eat it. i am like a freak with the wipes. i have witnessed my daughter feed a goat with those bottles and then put it right into her mouth. omg you should have seen me! but what can you do? there are no guarantees of course, and i wouldnt go to a petting zoo that looks dirty or if the animals look like they are not taken care of, because i assume they are more likely to be sick. but i think seeing the animals is such a wonderful experience for kids, i wouldn't take it away. by the way, if you live on long island, white post farms in melville is wonderful. clean, safe, fun, a beautiful huge play area, tons to do, we spend the whole day. some days we dont even go over to the animals just because there is so much else to do. my advice is to keep it clean as much as you can, but have fun.

Hi,
I have never read this article, but it sounds ridiculous to me. It may as well say, never take a child under 3 out of the house. There are hazards everywhere, it's so silly. My daughter has loved the zoo since she was a baby. GL!