Petting Zoo Bear Kills Zoo Worker

This story from the St Louis Post Dispatch seemed bizarre indeed from the headline alone: Bear kills petting zoo worker

I mean a bear being part of a petting zoo????? That seems like a wildly inappropriate animal for inclusion in a petting zoo, and a poor product strategy……….

From the article it’s not altogether clear what exact roll the bear played at the petting zoo, per the Post:

An 80-year old man who helped feed animals at a closed petting zoo and farm near Flora, Ill., was killed Wednesday by a black bear that had escaped its cage.

It’s possible from the cage reference that the bears were not hands-on members of the petting zoo but rather were on display without “petting status”………………….I certainly hope so…………………………..

It would also be interesting to know about the petting zoos “closed status”…………………….