Socially Distant Goats

By now, just about all of our zoos and aquariums are reopened to the public following what will hopefully be the worst of the coronavirus pandemic.  That doesn't mean everything is completely back to normal, though.  Mask mandates and capacity limits are still in effect in some places.  Sensitive animals still need to be vaccinated.  And some exhibits haven't yet reopened.

Among the last things to reopen will probably be animal contact areas - especially places where visitors can come into contact with mammals.

It's varying from zoo to zoo and species to species.  I recently paid a visit to a zoo and was surprised - a little pleased, a little nervous - to see that animal contact areas were open.  Visitors were feeding lorikeets and petting stingrays, all with great pleasure.  At that same zoo, I noticed additional barriers in front of COVID-sensitive species, such as cats and otters.  At another zoo I visited, the giraffe feeding station and petting yard with goats were closed.  Many places are suspending encounters with animal ambassadors, or behind-the-scenes tours.  Every place has different levels of comfort with settling back to a new normal.  For some places, this might be the new normal.  I've heard a few vets voice concern about ever going back to allowing visitors to interact with some animals, or at east scaling it back.

I have no idea what the new normal will look like - maybe we go back to things exactly as they were, maybe ambassador cheetahs become a thing of the past.  Whatever happens, I'm sure we'll adjust.  We've made it this far, after all...