Health authorities in North Carolina are warning anyone who came into contact with baby goats at a traveling petting zoo to reach out to their local health department after multiple animals were confirmed to have rabies.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, or NCDHHS, said the rabid goats belonged to Farm Adventures, a mobile petting zoo operating out of Harmony, North Carolina, that brought animals to events in several counties.
Officials said anyone who handled or otherwise had direct contact with baby goats from Farm Adventures, whether at the Harmony site or during an off-site event between July 28 and Aug. 27, should contact their local health department to find out if preventive treatment is recommended.
North Carolina officials said baby goats from a mobile petting zoo tested positive for rabies and may have interacted with members of the public while contagious. (Reuters)
According to NCDHHS, Farm Adventures hosted off-site events during that timeframe that included children and older adults in multiple counties. The agency said event organizers are being contacted, while the investigation continues and more details about possible rabies exposure sites will be shared as they become available.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Farm Adventures said four of its baby goats had tested positive for rabies and were euthanized in an effort to stop the virus from spreading.
Young goat handlers wait for a judge’s decision during a competition on day nine of the Iowa State Fair on August 21, 2026, in Des Moines, Iowa. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)
The mobile petting zoo named the affected goats as Molly, Maggie, Cow and Uno.
“We are working closely with public health officials, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, and animal control to address this issue and ensure the safety of our animals and clients,” Farm Adventures said.
According to Farm Adventures, the baby goats were housed in a separate pen away from the other animals at the petting zoo.
The four goats were too young to receive their vaccinations when a skunk entered their pen, according to Farm Adventures. While the skunk was removed, the petting zoo was not aware that the goats had been bitten.
“They showed no sign or symptoms of rabies,” Farm Adventures said.
North Carolina health officials said the mobile petting zoo attended off-site events involving children and elderly individuals during the potential rabies exposure period. (REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina)
Farm Adventures said one of the animals was ultimately sent for a necropsy after its veterinarian investigated what was happening. State health officials said several goats tested positive for rabies at the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health.
“These past few days have been incredibly difficult for us,” Farm Adventures said.
Rabies is a viral disease that is deadly if people do not receive medical care before symptoms begin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The virus primarily spreads through bites or scratches from an infected animal. Bats, skunks, raccoons and foxes are the animals most frequently found with rabies in the U.S., according to the CDC.
The CDC said roughly 100,000 Americans receive rabies vaccinations following a potential exposure each year.
Human rabies infections are extremely rare in the U.S., and no human cases have been reported in North Carolina since 2011, according to NCDHHS.
