Several animals at a traveling petting zoo have tested positive for rabies, health officials have announced.
The North Carolina The Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) said Friday that three baby goats that traveled to 10 petting zoos across the state this summer tested positive for rabiesa nearly 100 percent fatal condition that spreads to humans through infected animal bites.
“Rabies is almost always fatal in mammals, including humans, unless medications to prevent infection are given before symptoms develop,” NCDHHS said in a statement.
Authorities said they were first notified on August 27 of possible rabies exposure in four baby goats at the Farm Adventures mobile petting zoo.
The department believes the goats were likely exposed to rabies by a skunk that entered the pen where they were kept in late July.
Laboratory tests confirmed rabies virus in three of the four goats on August 28. The fourth goat was not tested but was presumed to have the virus, officials said.
The department warned anyone who visited the zoo in Harmony, North Carolina, or any of its other locations between July 28 and August 27 to contact local health officials to see if treatment is needed.
“The petting zoo hosted external events involving children and seniors in multiple counties within that time frame,” state officials said.
Several goats at a traveling petting zoo in North Carolina tested positive for rabies, health officials announced (stock image)
Among the locations the zoo visited were an assisted living center, a back-to-school event and six private events, according to the department.
It is unclear how many people may have been exposed. No other animals pose a risk for rabies, according to NCDHHS.
In a statement posted to social media on Friday, Farm Adventures confirmed the positive rabies tests and said the affected goats had been “euthanized to prevent further spread.”
“We will continue to closely monitor our remaining animals as directed by health officials,” the company said. ‘The baby goats were kept in a separate pen, away from the others, and were too young to receive their vaccinations.
‘Unfortunately, we came across a skunk in their cage, which we immediately removed and disposed of. However, in the process, the skunk was able to bite the goats.”
The goats showed no signs or symptoms of rabies, according to the statement.
More than 90 percent of rabies exposure comes from wild animals, and skunks are responsible for about 17 percent of these infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), bats are the most common at 35 percent, followed closely by raccoons at 29 percent.
Rabies is transmitted through the saliva of infected animals. Most people get it from an animal bite or scratch.
In an extremely rare case, grandfather Barney Kurowicki of Michigan has contracted the disease in January 2025 after a kidney transplant.
The kidney was thought to be infected with rabies.
The virus moves along the spinal cord and travels to the brain, where it causes inflammation.
Early symptoms in humans include fever, headache, agitation, confusion and vomiting.
In later stages, patients suffer from restlessness, hallucinations, seizures and muscle twitches, excessive salivation and fear of water or air blowing in their face.
It is almost always fatal once symptoms begin, but a series of vaccines of four to five doses given before symptoms appear can prevent the disease. The injections should be given as soon as possible after someone thinks or confirms they have been exposed.
Only twenty cases of rabies survivors have been recorded in the medical literature worldwide.
About 5,000 cases of rabies in animals are reported annually, and about 60,000 Americans seek care because of possible exposure.
According to the CDC, fewer than 10 Americans die from rabies each year.
