At the Vermont Fair, exotic petting zoos rank high among fair favorites. "I think anything that is unique, that you can't see otherwise, certainly brings folks here," said Tim Shea of the Champlain Valley Exposition. SinceVermont does not have a zoo, children mostly rely on fairs for exposure to non-native species.
When animal handlers come to Vermont to offer animal rides, they can bring the camels, but they have to leave the elephants behind. "We don't allow elephants in Vermont primarily for safety concerns, primarily public health concerns," said Col. Dave LeCours of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.
According to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, elephants are common carriers of human tuberculosis, a contagious respiratory disease that's airborne. Allowing the gentle ivory tusked giants in is not something state officials will even consider. "We're concerned with people being exposed to that in a mass situation like a fair would be," LeCours said.
But according to a paper by the Tennessee Department of Health, the risk exist for people who have "prolonged and close contact with elephants; engage in treatment, medical procedures, or necropsies of elephants; live inside or close to an elephant barn; or participate in cleaning elephant barns or work as groundskeepers."
Nevertheless, the maximum penalty for sneaking an elephant into Vermont is a $3,000 fine.
