Maricopa County Fair is excluding a petting zoo among its attractions this year after a 2025 E. coli outbreak that sickened at least 18 people, including 13 children, was associated with the zoo, according to Arizona Central. Pony rides are also being excluded.
Executive director Karen Searle told The Arizona Republic in a statement, “Out of an abundance of caution and in response to public concern, the Maricopa County Fair has made the decision that while there will be plenty of livestock exhibits and displays this year, there will be no direct public animal contact.”
Fair goers won’t be allowed to touch the animals, but bacteria can get onto fence posts and gates, surrounding materials like hay, and even become airborne. There is no word on whether or not this ban will be permanent.
The fair took place from September 19 to October 26, 2025. Illnesses stopped being reported to public health officials in mid-January 2026.
This ban is in place after a bill was introduced to the Arizona legislature in January 2026, mandating handwashing stations at animal exhibits. The bill failed in the Senate on a 4-4 vote.
The issue is that ruminant animals such as cows and goats carry pathogenic E. coli bacteria in their guts. They do not get sick because they lack the vascular receptors needed for Shiga toxins to attach to and attack their red blood cells. The animals excrete the E. coli in their feces, which can then contaminate the surrounding area.
Children under the age of five are particularly susceptible to this pathogen because it can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a type of kidney failure.
If you do choose to take your children to a fair, make sure you watch them carefully around animals, and don’t let them put their fingers in their mouths during and after the visit. Also make sure that you wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water after leaving these exhibits, especially before eating. If they start showing symptoms of illness, especially an E. coli infection or HUS, take them to a doctor immediately.
If you have been sickened with a food poisoning infection after attending a county fair or petting zoo attraction, please contact our experienced attorneys for help with a possible lawsuit at 1-888-377-8900 or text us at 612-261-0856. Our firm represents clients in lawsuits against grocery stores, restaurants, and food processors.
