Family’s Petting Zoo Celebration Triggers Rabies Alert After Infected Goat Found
A Durham family that hired a mobile petting zoo learned two weeks later they may have been exposed to rabies after one of the baby goats tested positive.
On August 16, Tatiana Villatoro arranged for Farm Adventures Mobile Petting Zoo to attend a private gathering in Durham, North Carolina, where more than 30 guests interacted closely with baby goats. After a goat named Maggie fell ill, veterinarians could not identify the cause until a later euthanasia and testing confirmed rabies. Health authorities announced on August 30 that multiple goats from the mobile zoo tested positive, issuing a notice that anyone who had contact with the animals at the farm’s base in Harmony or at mobile events between July 28 and August 27 should contact local health departments for risk assessment and possible post-exposure prophylaxis.
The Durham County Department of Public Health, working with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, is reaching out to event hosts and attendees. Villatoro learned of the outbreak from a friend, promptly visited urgent care, and later received official guidance from the health department.
