North Carolina mother warns of possible rabies exposure after hiring mobile petting zoo

A mother in North Carolina hired Farm Adventures Mobile Petting Zoo for birthday parties for her 9-year-old and 4-year-old children. Days later, the state health department notified her that four baby goats from the company had tested positive for rabies after a skunk entered the animals' pen. Officials said the goats may have been in contact with the public between July 28 and Aug. 27, creating a potential exposure window.

The farm's owner reported that all animals received a rabies booster, and staff were also vaccinated. The mother, Aylin Cruz, said she advised the owner to obtain vaccination for peace of mind and recommended that other parents consider the same.

"I told her, for my peace of mind, and your peace of mind, go get vaccinated, and for any parent that has any question, I highly recommend them to go get vaccinated," Cruz said.

State health officials noted that North Carolina has not recorded a human rabies case since 2011.