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The Editor:
Re: “Is it time to ban petting zoos in Port Moody?” (Jan. 20, 2025)
In addition to the cruelty in forcing animals to act as entertainment props, no one should underestimate the risks associated with petting zoos and hands-on animal displays.
Petting zoos are hotbeds of E. coli bacteria and numerous children have been infected with the bug after visiting such displays. Symptoms can include bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping, vomiting and fever.
It can be fatal.
Children and adults alike have contracted E. coli after petting animals or simply touching the surroundings near a display. The bacteria have been found on railings, bleachers and even sawdust.
These displays are bad for animals, too.
Forced to interact with constant streams of excited and sometimes careless children, animals in petting zoos can be stressed and exhausted.
It’s time for these kinds of cruel and dangerous displays to be banned.
-Jennifer O'Connor, Fort Erie, Ont.
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