Giraffe at State Fair of Texas Petting Zoo Raises Concerns

On October 1, concerned Texan Stephanie Coon posted a 45-second video taken at the State Fair of Texas to her Facebook page. The video showed a giraffe quickly pacing back and forth in the petting zoo area and nearly hitting its head on the ceiling. It was clear that the animal was very uncomfortable, and the petting zoo patrons knew something was wrong.

“They have it in a tiny space and it was bleeding out of his nose and mouth and his chest was cut. Absolutely disgusting ! He was pacing back and forth and even attempting to run at some point. He is beyond stressed and it was the saddest thing I’ve seen!!” Coon wrote on her video that accumulated over 7,400 views.

On Tuesday, WFAA reported that the State Fair of Texas responded to the incident by pulling the giraffe from the exhibit. Employee Karissa Condoinas said, “She’s a young giraffe and this was her first show to be at…the environment just wasn’t good for her.” She adds that the animal vendor, Joe Hedrick, has worked with the fair for many years. They stand by the claim that the enclosure was big enough for the giraffe. The petting zoo is still open to guests.