Gadsden city officials announced Sunday morning that Noccalula Falls Park is closed until further notice after an early morning fire at the petting zoo that killed a couple of dozen petting zoo animals.
According to Gadsden Fire Chief Wil Reed, a passerby noticed a fire at the park about 5:45 a.m., and responding firefighters discovered the petting zoo barn completely engulfed.
Cause of Fire
According to the city, the cause of the fire is unclear at this time, and no human injuries have been confirmed.
The Gadsden Fire Department and the fire marshal will pursue a thorough investigation.
Animal Casualties
According to City of Gadsden spokesman Michael Rodgers around 75 animals were killed in the eruption, with the majority of birds, rodents, and guinea pigs surviving.
The outdoor animals, according to Christina Richardson, a park supervisor, are unharmed.
Rodgers said via email that "all of the grazing animals and animals in the outside enclosures survived, but the animals inside the main building did not."
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Noccalula Falls Par Petting Zoo
The petting zoo opened in 2000 and was extended in 2006, according to the park's website, and featured enclosed areas for birds, fish, rabbits, hamsters, and other animals.
Outdoor displays around the barn included birds, coatimundis, and foxes, as well as a farm of cattle, goats, and other livestock, according to the zoo.
Petting Zoos
A petting zoo (also known as a children's zoo, children's garden, or petting farm) is a collection of domesticated and wild animals that are kind enough to be touched and fed. Most general zoos have a petting zoo in addition to independent petting zoos.
The majority of petting zoos are built to allow only reasonably calm herbivorous domesticated animals, such as cattle, goats, pigs, rabbits, or ponies, to be fed and interacted with in a healthy manner. This is in contrast to the typical zoo experience, in which wild animals are usually seen from behind secure enclosures with little opportunity for interaction. A few allow visitors to communicate with wild animals (such as pythons or big cat cubs), although these are uncommon and mostly found outside Western countries.
Children in Petting Zoos
Small children love petting zoos, and they sometimes feed the animals. The food is provided by the zoo, either by vending machines or a kiosk, to ensure the animals' welfare. Grass and crackers are commonly fed to cattle, and hay is also popular in some feeding areas. This form of eating is an exception to the general rule that animals should not be fed.
Harms of Petting Zoos
Since touching animals will result in disease transmission between animals and humans (zoonosis), it is recommended that people wash their hands thoroughly before and after handling them. Several E. coli outbreaks, for example, have occurred.
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