No, the animals at the petting zoo are not slaughtered after Picnic Day
Trust me, I work there
There have been rumors circulating around about the petting zoo the Animal Science department’s is putting on tomorrow for Picnic Day.
The rumor being that the animals that are a part of the petting zoo are slaughtered soon after because they can’t go back to their facilities. Of course this is a major concern, nobody wants our feathered and furred friends to be harmed.
So I started asking around.
Animal Science majors, like Kate here, care for our facility animals constantly
I e-mailed Kristy Portillo, manager at the Avian Facilities, about this and she got back to me shortly after. I told her I had heard the rumor that most of the animals that are in the petting zoo on picnic day do not make it back to their respective flocks and herds because they are slaughtered immediately afterwards.
She said: “I am not completely sure this is true.
“The only animals I know that cannot go back to their facility are those from Avian and Swine due to biosecurity (but neither of those are used in the petting zoo).”
She also mentioned that the avian facility does have an exhibit with the public on picnic day, but that the chicks in their exhibit, “are all spoken for and going with someone at the end of the day, but this is set up months in advance.”
Abigail will be happy to know this one
I then got an email from none-other than Daniel Sehnert, Facilities Coordinator, about this topic.
He said: “The petting zoo has dairy calves, goat kids and lambs all of which go back to their respective barns [after the event].”
He mentioned the importance of biosecurity in the facilities, and clarified that if there were pigs in the petting zoo they would not be allowed back into the nursery.
Pigs are more susceptible to diseases and it would simply hurt the herd.
Therefore, if pigs feature in the petting zoo and don’t have anywhere else to go, there is the potential that they will be slaughtered.
No animals are harmed in the name of Picnic Day. No need to be concerned, concerned cow on the right.
That said, I personally work in the Avian Facility under Kristy’s supervision, and I’ve seen firsthand the respect everyone in the animal science department has for the animals under our care.
The department would not allow animals to be put in direct harm.
I guess you could call me the cockatiel king 😉
I am volunteering at the petting zoo, which is by Meyer tomorrow.
If you have any questions or concerns, we will be more than happy to answer all of your questions personally.