NCDHHS has confirmed several baby goats at the Farm Adventures mobile petting zoo had rabies. People may have touched or held these goats while the animals were infected.
If you had contact with the baby goats from Farm Adventures between July 28 and Aug. 27, 2026, call your local health department right away. Call before you go in for care. Staff will talk with you about your risk. They will tell you if you need medicine to stop rabies before it starts. If you do need medicine, they will tell you where to go.
Where Rabies Exposure May Have Happened
The goats were at the main Farm Adventures site in Harmony, North Carolina, and at several off-site events in different counties.
Many of these events included children and older adults. Event organizers are being notified.
Known potential exposure dates and locations
| County | Location and Date |
|---|---|
| Burke County | Private event, Hickory Aug. 9 |
| Davidson County | Community Connections Back-to-School Bash More information: Davidson County news release |
| Davie County | Masonic Picnic Grounds (community event) More information: Davie County news release |
| Durham County | Private event, Durham Private event, Durham |
| Iredell County | Private event, Statesville Brookdale Peachtree (assisted living) Jurney’s Assisted Living |
| Mecklenburg County | Private event, Charlotte July 30 |
| Watauga County | Private event, Boone Aug. 8 |
NCDHHS and the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services were first notified Aug. 27. Officials are still gathering details and will share more information as it is reported and verified.
Why Rabies Is Serious
Rabies is a deadly virus. It spreads when an infected animal bites someone. It can also spread if saliva from a sick animal gets into a person’s eyes, nose, mouth or broken skin.
Wild animals are the most common source. Livestock can also spread rabies, but this is less common.
Baby goats are often bottle-fed, carried and cuddled. Because people have close contact with them, public health officials want to make sure anyone who touched the sick goats gets checked.
A skunk was seen in the goat pen in late July. In North Carolina, about 60% of skunks tested for rabies have the disease. Because of this, the goats were likely exposed to a high-risk source.
Symptoms of Rabies
Symptoms can start weeks or months after contact. Early symptoms feel like the flu. A person may feel weak, have a fever or get a headache. They may also feel tingling or itching in the spot where they were bitten or touched saliva.
Rabies is almost always fatal unless people get treatment before symptoms start.
Human rabies is very rare in the United States. North Carolina has not had a human case since 2011.
Rabies in NC Animals
In 2025, more than 4,000 animals in NC were tested for rabies. About 6% were positive. Rabies is most common in wild animals such as skunks, raccoons, bats and foxes.
Learn more: NCDHHS rabies webpage
Related press releases: