Three baby goats at a mobile petting zoo in North Carolina have tested positive for rabies, state health officials announced on Friday.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) warned that the infected animals traveled to 10 petting zoo locations across the state this summer, potentially exposing hundreds of visitors to the viral disease, which is nearly 100 percent fatal if untreated.
State health authorities were first notified of potential rabies exposure among four baby goats at Farm Adventures, a traveling petting zoo based in Harmony, North Carolina, on August 27.
Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of the rabies virus in three of the goats on August 28. Officials said the fourth goat was not tested but is assumed to have carried the virus as well.
Exposure at Farm Adventures
State health officials believe the young goats were infected in late July when a wild skunk entered the pen where they were being housed. Farm Adventures confirmed the encounter in a statement published on social media on Friday.
The company said staff encountered the wild skunk inside the pen and promptly removed and disposed of it. However, the skunk was able to bite the young goats during the incident.
Farm Adventures explained that the baby goats were housed in a separate pen away from other animals and were too young to receive rabies vaccinations. The company added that the infected goats had shown no visible signs or symptoms of the disease.
Following the positive laboratory results, the company confirmed that the affected goats were "euthanized to prevent further spread" of the disease. Farm Adventures stated that remaining animals are being closely monitored under guidance from public health officials.
Events Visited Across North Carolina
Public health officials reported that the traveling petting zoo held off-site events between July 28 and August 27 across multiple counties in North Carolina, bringing the animals into contact with children and elderly individuals.
According to NCDHHS, the venues visited by the petting zoo during the month-long period included an assisted-living center, a back-to-school event, and six private gatherings.
"The petting zoo held off-site events involving children and elderly individuals across multiple counties within that time frame," state officials said in a statement.
Health authorities have cautioned anyone who visited the Farm Adventures location in Harmony or attended any of its mobile events between July 28 and August 27 to contact local health officials immediately to evaluate whether preventative medical treatment is needed. State officials noted that it remains unclear exactly how many people may have been exposed, but confirmed that no other animals at the venue pose a rabies risk.
Symptoms and Rabies Transmission
Rabies is a dangerous viral infection that attacks the central nervous system of mammals, causing severe inflammation in the brain. "Rabies is almost always fatal in mammals, including people, unless medications to prevent infections are given before symptoms develop," NCDHHS warned.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that more than 90 percent of rabies exposures in the United States stem from wild animals. Skunks account for approximately 17 percent of infected wildlife cases, while bats represent the most common source at 35 percent, followed by raccoons at 29 percent.
The rabies virus is transmitted through the saliva of infected animals, primarily through bites or scratches. In humans, early symptoms of infection include fever, headache, agitation, confusion, and vomiting. As the disease progresses, individuals experience severe restlessness, hallucinations, seizures, muscle twitching, excessive salivation, and a characteristic fear of water or air blowing on the face.
Prevention and Medical Guidance
Medical literature records only 20 cases worldwide of humans surviving rabies once symptoms have developed. However, the onset of the disease can be successfully prevented if patients receive a four- to five-dose series of rabies vaccines promptly after exposure.
Health officials emphasize that preventative vaccination doses must be administered as soon as possible after an individual suspects or confirms exposure to an infected animal.
In the United States, roughly 5,000 cases of rabies in animals are reported each year, and approximately 60,000 Americans seek medical care for potential exposure annually. Fewer than 10 people in the U.S. die from rabies each year.
While human cases are rare, non-bite transmissions can occur in unusual medical circumstances. In one rare case from January 2025, a Michigan grandfather, Barney Kurowicki, contracted rabies after receiving a kidney transplant from a donor whose organ was later determined to have been infected with the virus.
North Carolina health officials continue to advise all visitors who had contact with Farm Adventures animals during the specified window to consult local public health departments without delay.
