Zoo Animals That You Can Touch

Going to the zoo can be fun for the whole family. It gives you the opportunity to see many animals you may never get to see in the wild. Almost every major city in the United States boasts a state of the art zoo.

As a general rule, you should never attempt to touch any zoo animals that are in their enclosures. Respect the animal's space and abide by all zoo rules at all times. Most major zoos operate a small petting zoo where children and adults can interact one-on-one with some of the more domesticated animals for a small donation of about $5.

The types of animals you may see in a petting zoo are:

• Goats - At many petting zoos you can buy pellets to feed to the goats. Be careful though, goats will eat just about anything, including your shoelaces.


• Donkeys - Some petting zoos may have a few donkeys you can touch. Be gentle with the donkeys and be careful not to get within kicking distance of their powerful legs.


• Poultry - You may see chicken at petting zoos. Usually the chickens will gather around to peck at food given to them, but will not let you get too close. Since chicken are natural prey, they generally like to be left alone.


• Pigs - Petting a pig can be an interesting experience. Their skin is covered in a course layer of hair. Pigs can dig at your shoes, so be careful not to put your feet directly in their path.