Four baby goats at North Carolina petting zoo test positive for rabies

Four baby goats from a mobile petting zoo in North Carolina tested positive for rabies and were euthanized, prompting health officials to warn anyone who may have had contact with the animals to seek treatment. The goats were part of a traveling farm that visited schools, fairs, and community events across the Piedmont region. They were only a few months old when the disease was detected.

Rabies is a fatal disease that can spread from goats to humans through bites or scratches. Although cases in goats are rare, this is the first confirmed rabies case in a North Carolina goat in over a decade. Mobile petting zoos bring animals into close contact with children and adults, creating a higher risk of exposure. The outbreak raises questions about the health‑check protocols that traveling farms use and whether stricter vaccination requirements are needed.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)