Episode Notes
Community Education Specialist Andie Springirth and Senior Advisor Tara Hess delve into zoonotic diseaseAny disease or illness that can be spread between nonhuman animals and humans. transmission. What are zoonoses, and how can they spread? Why is it important to understand zoonotic disease transmission from an educational standpoint, and what are some of the most meaningful ways sanctuary educators can prevent it in their onsite learning spaces with guests? Listen to this episode to learn more!
This Episode’s Referenced Open Sanctuary Project Resources:
Understanding Zoonotic Disease: An Overview for Animal Sanctuaries
Fundamentals of an Effective Animal Sanctuary Tour Program
In-Person Sanctuary Educational Programming: What Are Your Options?
The Differences Between an Animal Sanctuary and a Petting Zoo
Understanding Biases that Can Negatively Impact Farmed Animals and How to Help Folks Overcome Them
Episode Transcript (Auto-GeneratedThe following content was transcribed through an automated process and may contain transcription errors or misspellings.)
Andie Springirth: Hello, hello, sanctuary friends and rescue pals. Welcome back to another episode of the Open Sanctuary Podcast. My name is Andie Springirth. I am the Community Education Specialist here at the Open Sanctuary Project, and I’m joined today by my colleague and friend Tara Hess, the Senior Advisor, to talk about one very important way that we can prioritize and optimize the well-being and health of not just the non-human animal residents in our care, but also of the well-being and health of the human folks that we share space with in sanctuary as well. Today, we’re going to be talking about one of these important ways that we can take care of our residents, both human and non-human, as well as our guests who join us in our sanctuary settings, from an educational standpoint. So, part of our responsibility as sanctuary educators is to think about the potential for disease transmission between humans and non-human animals as they potentially come into contact with one another during our on-site programming. And as I mentioned, this is not just to protect the health and well-being of our residents and guests, but it’s also to protect the organization as a whole from a liability standpoint. And so, here at the Open Sanctuary Project, we believe it’s crucial that sanctuary educators have a basic understanding of zoonosisAny disease or illness that can be spread between nonhuman animals and humans., how zoonotic diseases can spread, and some of the protective measures that we can take to prevent them with our program participants. So, as an educator myself, I personally always like to start with the basics. So, for folks who might not know, Tara, would you mind explaining a little bit about what zoonotic diseases are?
Tara Hess: Yeah, I think one thing that can be confusing is if you were to look up, you know, the definition for zoonotic disease, different sources might define it slightly differently or break it down into very specific categories with different terms, but for our purposes, I think we can keep it pretty simple. So, the definition that we use in the resource that we have on zoonotic disease and the definition that will work for the podcast is that zoonotic diseases, which are also called zoonoses, are infectious diseases, which means they’re diseases caused by organisms like bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, etc., that can be naturally transmitted between humans and other animals. So, we’re focusing on the risk of zoonotic diseases spreading from non-human animals, our residents, to humans, specifically guests. But humans can also transmit diseases, zoonotic diseases, to non-human animals, and sometimes the term reverse zoonosis is used for that. That’s not really what we’re getting into here, but I just think it’s important to raise that point because I think some sources sort of gloss over the fact that it goes both ways, and it’s not just that non-human animals are responsible for making, you know, humans sick. Another reason why sometimes the concept of zoonotic disease can be confusing, even though the definition might sound sort of straightforward, is that there are diseases that humans can be affected by that other species can also be affected by, but we don’t necessarily transmit them between each other, like maybe we pick them up in the environment or something like that. So those might be common diseases, but it’s not zoonotic unless it can be transmitted under natural circumstances, so not like experimentally forcing exposure. And then also, to further complicate things, there are lots of conditions that when we talk about, we might use like a common name versus the scientific name. And so, there might be a common name that we use to describe a condition in humans and other species that might make it sound like we’re talking about the same thing, but the condition is actually caused by a different pathogen in humans than in other species. So, I think a good example of this is pediculosis or lice infestation. So, like you and I, and we have kids, so we know this, you and I can get head lice, and that sucks. Our residents can also get lice, and that’s super common. So, I mean, you were a caregiverSomeone who provides daily care, specifically for animal residents at an animal sanctuary, shelter, or rescue.; I’m sure you can relate to this experience of working with a chicken, for example, who has lice. Chances are you’re going to get lice on you, and they’re going to be crawling on you. I’ve had them in my hair. And of course, you feel them crawling, and it’s creepy, and you’re scratching your head. But you don’t have head lice. Like, you have chicken lice in your hair, but you don’t have head lice. Like, those chicken lice aren’t going to reproduce and live on you the way that human head lice will. So, I get into all of this because I think it’s the concept of zoonotic disease, and preventing it can be sort of overwhelming, I think, and it’s really important to understand what we’re talking about and what we’re not. Not because lice doesn’t matter, like, obviously it matters, and we need to treat it, but if you have everybody freaking out that they’re going to get head lice because they’re working with a chicken or a goat with lice, I feel like that can just muck everything up. Yes. So, that’s why I wanted to raise that point. So, that’s sort of like what zoonotic diseases are, like what we mean by a zoonotic disease. But in addition to talking about what they are, it’s important to understand how they spread because without understanding that, we can’t really protect ourselves or others. In terms of how zoonotic diseases spread, just to be super, super clear, we’re talking about a big group of diseases. You know, we’re just talking about diseases in general that share the ability to be transmitted between humans and other species. But each zoonotic disease, just like any disease, is going to have its own specifics. So, there are five main routes of disease exposure in terms of infectious disease and more specifically zoonotic disease. But that doesn’t mean that every zoonotic disease spreads in all of these ways. But if it’s okay, I was just going to go over those ways so that you know when we’re talking about how to prevent them, folks understand where we’re coming from. I think that’s one of the most important points.
Andie Springirth: Yeah. Thank you.
Tara Hess: Okay. So, the first is direct contact. So, this might happen if a pathogen, which again is that organism that causes the infection or the disease, makes direct contact with open wounds, mucous membranes, or the skin. So, if we’re thinking about a sanctuary setting, you know, this might happen when we’re petting a resident who might have a certain kind of infection. Now, of course, they could have infections that can’t be spread by touching them, but if they have, let’s say, ringworm, I know this from experience. Touching them could lead you to get ringworm.
Andie Springirth: Yep.
Tara Hess: And it’s not just about touch. It’s also about coming into direct contact with residents’ body fluids and all the things that come out of them. So, things like urine, feces, saliva. And again, just because something can be spread through direct contact, even with those body fluids, it doesn’t mean the pathogen is going to be in all of those things. So, it might be that it’s spread in the feces but not the saliva, you know, not the urine or whatever. So, these are just real general things, but if folks are concerned about a specific zoonotic disease, then it would be a really good idea to research that disease, talk to your veterinarian so you can really understand the specifics. Right now we’re talking general. And then make responsible decisions. Yeah, so you can make like general, implement general measures that will protect against zoonotic disease as a general group. But yeah, if you’re dealing with something specific, you can make really targeted decisions. So, that was direct contact. Next up is aerosols. This is where someone might be exposed to a pathogen that they breathe in that’s suspended in the air. So, this might happen if a resident has a respiratory illness and is sneezing or coughing. You know, that could send the pathogens airborne. But it can also happen if, in some cases, again, not all, if contaminated soil or dirt gets stirred up. So, again, thinking about sanctuary settings, I’m thinking about sometimes like after a living spaceThe indoor or outdoor area where an animal resident lives, eats, and rests. is cleaned or if you have a group of residents, bigger residents, like if sheep come running through, playing through a living space, things might become airborne. So, that would be another way that folks could be exposed to zoonotic disease. And then there’s the oral route. And I feel like this is one that folks might think primarily about drinking contaminated water or eating contaminated foods, which of course are ways that you could be exposed to a zoonotic disease or an infectious disease that’s just spread between humans. But oral exposure goes well beyond intentionally being like, “I’m drinking this water, and it just so happens to be contaminated, and I didn’t know it”. So, it’s really about things going in your mouth. So, someone could get a pathogen on their hands, and if they don’t wash their hands and they use their hands to eat, they might be introducing that, not just bacteria, but that pathogen into their mouth, or, you know, putting unwashed fingers in or near their mouth, using unwashed hands to touch things that go in their mouth. Like, I’ve heard stories of folks who smoke, you know, maybe not washing their hands before they smoke a cigarette on their break, and now all of a sudden they’re putting that pathogen basically right on their lips. And then also if they put a contaminated fomite in their mouth, which brings us to fomite exposure. So, for folks who don’t know, a fomite would be a contaminated inanimate object that can be the source of exposure to a pathogen. So, things like cleaning tools, feeding supplies, brushes, coats, really anything that comes into contact with where the pathogens are could carry certain pathogens. Some pathogens don’t live long enough to really be spread effectively this way, but some do. Your shoes can act as fomitesObjects or materials that may become contaminated with an infectious agent and contribute to disease spread. This is a big one, especially when we’re talking about disease spread between residents. We can track pathogens different places, but it’s the same with zoonotic disease. And then the last one is vectors. So, this is similar to fomites, but instead of coming into contact with the pathogen on an inanimate object, you’re being exposed to it via a living organism. So, maybe a tick, mosquito, flies, rodents. I already mentioned this, but again, as with any pathogen, each zoonotic pathogen is going to have its specific transmission route or maybe routes. And so, it’s not like all of these apply, but when you’re thinking of general prevention, it’s important to recognize that all of these could be a way that it spreads.
Andie Springirth: Right, right, yes. Thank you so much. That was unbelievably helpful in terms of providing a general overview of what zoonosis is, how they can potentially spread. Thank you so much, Tara, for sharing all of that incredibly helpful information with us. So, as a sanctuary educator and caregiver myself, I just want to say I’ve been really fortunate not to contract or spread any zoonotic disease, at least not that I’m aware of. And I’m sure that there are some folks listening who’ve had a similar experience, but I want to be really mindful here because a lack of experience might encourage some folks to conclude that it’s never going to happen to them or someone they know. And we know that’s just not the case; that this does happen. So, I also want to emphasize here that we’re not trying to scare anyone by sharing this information, and also just clarifying that this does happen and will continue to happen. But more so, just so that we can provide folks with enough information to help them prevent this from happening as much as possible. So, I’m wondering, given that I’ve, to my knowledge, like I said, I’ve never contracted or spread a zoonotic disease, can you tell us a little bit about how common zoonotic diseases are? And I know that might be a little bit difficult because there are so many different ones, and they might vary depending on the particular disease, but I’m just curious if you can give us some general information about that.
Tara Hess: Yeah, yeah, I definitely can. And I think your point about if folks aren’t aware that they’ve been affected by a zoonotic disease or that someone else that they know has, it’s really easy to maybe come to the conclusion that zoonotic diseases are rare or that the risk is minuscule, which isn’t actually true when we’re talking about like the general, how common are zoonotic diseases. And you raised a great point that it’s, again, we’re talking about a group of diseases, and that group of diseases, just in case folks aren’t aware, zoonotic diseases range from ones that, in a healthy individual, might be super mild and sort of like a nuisance. Like I mentioned that I got ringworm. Now, that could be really serious in certain folks. For me, it was annoying, like super, super, super annoying, but it wasn’t—
Andie Springirth: Like an itchy scab on your arm or something.
Tara Hess: Yeah. Yeah, and I mean it itched forever, and it wouldn’t go away. But then there are also zoonotic diseases that are potentially fatal, and those might not be ones that are, for a healthy human, super common in a sanctuary setting. You know, I’m thinking like rabies; rabies is zoonotic that if you don’t take appropriate measures after being exposed, that is almost always fatal. There are other zoonotic diseases that are almost always fatal. So, it’s like a broad spectrum of risk. So, I just want to say that before I start talking about how common they are because it’s not like every disease out there is going to kill you, and they’re all over the place. Like, I don’t think that’s what it is. I don’t want to scare folks. But what we’re talking about, just in general, how common are zoonotic diseases? They’re super, super, super common. I have some statistics I want to share, but before I share them, and I know we’re going to talk about this a little bit later, I do just want to stress that it’s important not to villainize non-human animals when we’re talking about how common these diseases are in terms of risk to humans, because, and you know this as well as I do, this is a massive topic in terms of how we got to where we are right now with zoonotic disease.
Andie Springirth: Yep.
Tara Hess: And it’s beyond the scope of what we’re talking about today. But the short of it is, the way that we exist in the world in general as a species is the driving force. You know, it’s not like non-human animals are out there, you know, trying to kill us. You know, we are increasing the likelihood.
Andie Springirth: Exactly.
Tara Hess: Like we are removing boundaries between humans and animals. Yep. And raising domesticatedAdapted over time (as by selective breeding) from a wild or natural state to life in close association with and to the benefit of humans animals and wild animals in certain ways. So, just I wanted to get that out of the way before I was like, “They’re everywhere”.
Andie Springirth: Well, I just want to quickly add into that too. I really appreciate that point, especially since we’re talking about this today specifically from an educational standpoint, right? Because when we’re inviting guests to our on-site programming, into our on-site programming, we want to make sure that we’re not reproducing practices that are common in petting zoosOrganizations where animals, either rescued, bought, borrowed, or bred, are kept, typically for the benefit of human visitor interest.. You know, where we know these preventive measures are, in a lot of cases, nil, non-existent. And if they are, they’re generally not nearly enough. And I also want to say, you know, in a petting zooAn organization where animals, either rescued, bought, borrowed, or bred, are kept, typically for the benefit of human visitor interest. setting, where the mentality towards animals is obviously entirely different than how we want to encourage folks to be in relationship with animals in a sanctuary setting. So, I do want to say that while we’re stressing that this is very important to be mindful of so that we can protect each other, the point is not to vilify the residents at the sanctuary and then potentially put another type of barrier between folks who are in a hopefully very positive learning space.
Tara Hess: Yeah, like we just don’t know the preconceived notions folks might have about farmed animalsA species or specific breed of animal that is raised by humans for the use of their bodies or what comes from their bodies. particularly. I think being careful not to inadvertently reinforce a notion someone has that like, “Oh, farmed animals are dirty or diseased or whatever” is important. And I think if you’re not explicit about it, you leave room for those connections to be made when you weren’t making that connection. So, yeah, in terms of how common they are, again, you already said this, but because we’re talking about a group of diseases, some zoonotic diseases are super common, some are super rare, especially in certain parts of the world. It might be just very, very, very unlikely to be exposed to it. But in general, as a group, according to the CDC, more than six out of every ten known infectious diseases in humans can be transmitted from non-human animals. So, that’s six out of ten for the known infectious diseases. And then three out of every four emerging or new infectious diseases in humans come from non-human animals. So, they’re super common. But that said, just because in the world zoonotic diseases as a group are super common, that does not at all mean that zoonotic transmission in a sanctuary space is inevitable because there are just so many things, and they’re common sense things that aren’t particularly difficult that we can do to reduce the chance of zoonotic disease transmission, and I know we’re going to talk about those later. One other thing that is important that I wanted to highlight is, you know, when we’re thinking about how common they are and then also like what the chances are of someone being exposed to and developing a zoonotic disease. It’s important to understand that certain groups of folks are more at risk than others. And this is true for humans and non-humans. Here we’re talking specifically about the risk to humans, so that’s who I’m going to focus on, but it’s true with everybody. Like, there are going to be certain factors that can make a resident more vulnerable to disease or a guest coming onto your property or a staff person. And so, for humans, the groups that are more at risk for zoonotic disease include young children, particularly kids under five; older adults, especially those over 65; pregnant people; and folks with a weakened immune system, which could be from a variety of things, maybe illness, treatment, etc.. And so, while all of those groups are at an increased risk, I think for our conversation today, it’s really important to think a little bit more about young kids in particular. Young kids are at an increased risk of zoonotic disease, in part because of their still developing immune system, but also because, and again, we both have kids, so we know this, they’re more likely to engage in behaviors that are going to expose them to pathogens, and they’re less likely to practice frequent and proper handwashing. I’m sure you know that like, “I did wash my hands,” and you’re like, “Dude, the water was on for like one second”.
Andie Springirth: Oh, yeah. Every, every day, right?
Tara Hess: So, so with kids, it’s like putting their hands in or near their mouth, eyes, nose. Like, kids, little kids, do that all the time. Putting their hands in their mouth or putting their mouth on a resident or putting their mouth on something the resident came into contact with. Dropping a toy, a pacifier, food, putting it in their mouth. You know, those are all things that can expose them to harmful pathogens. And you can’t reason with them; it happens so quick. They do it so quickly. And again, other folks are at risk from these pathogens, but particularly with kids, I think they’re, it’s more likely with them if they’re exposed to things like Salmonella, E. coli, Cryptosporidium, Giardia. They can get so sick, and those are the pathogens that I’m sure lots of folks have come across news stories, news articles, about kids who get so sick that they die after visiting a petting zoo or another setting where they’re coming into contact with usually young animals, and they get sick. So, obviously, you already mentioned this, sanctuaries are very different than petting zoos. But in terms of whether or not those pathogens are present, I’ll tell you just from my own experience, like submitting diagnostics, doing diagnostic testing on different residents, they’re not uncommon for someone to come back as having Salmonella or Giardia or something like that. And especially when you’re talking about new residents, again, not to scare folks, but this notion that it could never happen, if anyone has that notion, it’s incorrect. And I think sometimes, to folks’ credit, so many folks already probably have practices in place that mitigate some of the risk because it’s better for the residents too. Just like good care for the residents is going to mitigate the risk. And so, that is good, but that might make folks think that it’s, they might not connect it to their practices and just think, “Oh, it can’t happen in a sanctuary space,” which it obviously can.
Andie Springirth: Yes. Thank you. This is just unbelievably important information for folks to have, particularly educators, because even as we stress and recognize the difference ideologically between petting zoos and animal sanctuaries, I think a lot of folks who are listening can think of a time or imagine a scenario even where that line can get blurred, right? When we’re inviting folks onto our properties and into our on-site programming. So, this is a topic that we want to be really mindful of to make sure that we don’t blur that line, that we can prevent that. And, you know, again, from an educational standpoint, if your sanctuary facilitates any kind of on-site programming with visitors. So, this can be not just tours, I know a lot of us when we talk about on-site programming, we tend to think immediately of tours, which are very common in a lot of animal sanctuary settings, but also on-site workshops that are facilitated by your sanctuary, but maybe potentially by another organization that’s utilizing your property to host a workshop, right? Any kind of conference, retreats, camps, film screenings, etc.. There’s a good chance at some point that those folks who are on your property for that are going to come into contact with your residents. So, I want to also note that having folks on-site does not necessarily mean they are going to have direct contact like petting or grooming or giving some kind of nutritional enrichment treat. But it is likely that your guests are going to be pretty close in proximity to them and their living spaces. And even if your guests do not get super close in proximity to the residents, they’re still on-site. As Tara mentioned, this is where the residents reside, where the caregivers work. That means the pathogens are potentially already in the air. They’re on the ground. They’re on fomites and inanimate objects, etc.. All of this to say, and to bring to another incredibly important part of this episode, which is the most important ways animal sanctuaries and educators can prevent zoonotic diseases from spreading, either from non-human animal to human or vice versa. So, in the sanctuary world, we sometimes wear many hats. When I worked at a larger animal sanctuary, I was both an educator and a caregiver. And the preventative measures and my ability to enact certain preventative measures sometimes depended on the specific role I was performing at the time. So, for example, as caregivers, we know that one of the most important ways we can reduce the risk is by focusing on resident health. And I just want to say that Tara has a, there’s a really important section on this particular topic in her resource titled “Understanding Zoonotic Disease: An Overview for Animal Sanctuaries”. So, if you are interested in learning more about that particular aspect of this, please do take a thorough look through that section of the resource. Part of focusing on resident health includes providing a nutritionally complete diet. You don’t want to underestimate the power of healthy diets for our residents in terms of building strong immune systems and preventing disease spread, but also keeping resident spaces clean and properly ventilated, keeping residents’ stress to a minimum. Other practices to focus on resident health might include daily observation, routine health checks, veterinary examinations, among lots of other things. But as sanctuary educators, there are many other ways we can reduce the risk of zoonotic disease spread and specific ways we can do this in that role. So, in that resource you wrote on understanding zoonotic disease, you explored some of the preventative measures and protocols that sanctuary staff can implement with on-site guests specifically. And I’d love it if you could share some of those with us here and all of the educators listening.
Tara Hess: Yeah, I want to just hop off, jump off, hop off, jump off one thing you said because you’re right, like it’s good to talk about guests separately from sanctuary personnel because as you mentioned, depending on your role, I think there’s different measures that can be taken to protect folks based on their responsibilities. But I think it’s also important to look at the whole picture because by doing those things to ensure resident health, specifically the clean living spaces, because even though that’s not necessarily a sanctuary educator’s role, I just think it’s important to highlight here so that maybe a sanctuary educator, if they need to, can discuss it with the team of folks working at a sanctuary because I think that is such a crucial one, both in terms of protecting staff, but also in terms of protecting guests and keeping residents healthy because so many of the really nasty zoonotic diseases spread in feces. And of course, like poop is just an inevitable part of a sanctuary experience. We would be, I think people would be like, “Those people have never been to a sanctuary,” if we were implying that you could have guests not come in contact with any, like they’re going to leave and there’s no poop on their shoe. But this is where I think again, there’s a huge difference or should be a huge difference between like a petting zoo or a fair or whatever and a sanctuary in terms of the standards for cleanliness because if you think about how those pathogens can be spread in feces, not only if the space isn’t clean, are guests more likely to walk through feces, maybe then, you know, they’re touching their shoe, you know, like however, then they come into contact with it or if they sit down, now it’s on their pants, now it’s on their hand. But also, residents are then laying in that feces, and then you have guests petting the residents, and then they’re maybe they’re like, “I don’t have poop on my hand, so it’s fine to, you know, pull this hair out of my mouth or whatever” is going on that you just don’t even necessarily think of. So, I think making sure that resident spaces are clean is a huge one that I just wanted to circle back to because just so folks really understand how important that one is.
Andie Springirth: And they overlap. Yeah, with departments, right?
Tara Hess: Yeah. But in terms of specific things for guests, there are a few big ones that we stress in the resource. So, the first is that we strongly recommend that sanctuaries require guests to check in upon arrival. And I should say most of the recommendations that we offer have many benefits. So, it’s not just that it is good in terms of preventing zoonotic disease, but there are other benefits in terms of maybe the experience folks have, the information you can relay. There are many reasons why you might want guests to check in upon arrival so that you can keep track of who’s around, and you can relay important information beyond just stressing the importance of handwashing or ways to protect against zoonotic disease. But I think that’s a huge one. If you don’t have folks checking in, if you don’t have any means to get to them first to be like, “Here are the things; here’s what you need to be aware of; here’s what you can do to protect yourself; here’s where you can go and you can’t go,” then some of the other measures, I think you can have them, but how are you going to ensure that people are doing them or even know about them? So, I think that check-in is huge. And then we also recommend that sanctuaries provide guided tours versus just letting folks walk around unaccompanied. And we strongly, strongly, strongly recommend that you only let guests in with residents while accompanied by trained sanctuary personnel. And so, again, as with the check-in, there are lots of reasons why this is a good idea, but in terms of zoonotic disease with proper training, your tour guides or whoever the folks are that accompany guests into sanctuary spaces can act as a line of defense. One more line of defense between risk and the guests in terms of relaying important information because you can have them check in, and you can tell them all sorts of things, but that’s not the same as having someone there to reiterate. We all know like you don’t necessarily retain everything you hear the first time. So, you can have someone reiterating the information and offering gentle reminders if they need to. If there’s a kidA young goat who maybe seems like they’re getting into something that they shouldn’t or doing something that they shouldn’t, a gentle reminder of why that’s not a great idea, I think is really important. And tour guides can also offer reminders to wash people’s, you know, not wash people’s hands, for people to wash their own hands or sanitize their hands. And so, that’s another huge part is they can’t do that if you don’t offer those things to them and if they aren’t strategically placed around the sanctuary. So, if it’s possible, one way to do this is to mount a wall-mounted hand sanitizer thing, you know, on the outside of every structure that folks go into with a nice sign that makes it clear that it’s there. The guide can offer a reminder like, “Everyone should sanitize their hands”. And again, this has benefits beyond just protecting humans because it can also help prevent carrying things to other residents. Another one that’s a huge one is to have a strict no food or beverage policy in resident spaces because again, going back to that oral exposure, it’s not just putting your hands in your mouth. Like if someone’s bringing a water bottle in and they set it down on the ground, you know, or a resident comes over and licks it, or, you know, it’s just one more opportunity for exposure to occur. So, and again, there are other safety reasons why, you know, I see you nodding your head because especially depending on who you’re going in with, it’s just not safe to bring food in even if there were no such thing as zoonotic disease. So, having a strict policy about that, communicating that policy, offering reminders as you’re entering spaces, and then also giving folks a clean, safe spot to put that because it’s not necessarily reasonable to expect that folks aren’t going to bring water, you know, on a hot day or maybe someone needs to have like a granola bar in hand because they have to eat at certain points. So, so it’s about being reasonable, but then also avoiding unnecessary risk. And it’s just an unnecessary risk to have folks bring those things into sanctuary spaces. And then most of these that I’ve talked about are sort of focusing on again like the tour or some sort of experience where you’re going in with residents, but you mentioned there are other opportunities for folks to come on-site that may or may not include interactions with residents. I think it’s important to stress that if there are situations where the sanctuary is providing food or drink to guests, to anyone, you also have to really think carefully about how you’re going to prevent zoonotic disease spread in those situations. So, the food and drink should be kept away from residents, their living spaces, things they’ve come into contact with, and that’s during storage, preparation, serving, consumption, and also rodents. Just as I don’t want to vilify residents, rodents also, they get a bad rap, but they can certainly act as vectors of disease, and so it might be that it’s not wise to keep human food on-site. Just sort of depends; folks have to think about what makes sense for them. But it’s not just the food that guests bring with them; it’s also if you provide food, making sure that that’s done in a safe way.
Andie Springirth: I can think of some other critters that aren’t just rodents that would also enjoy some of those leftovers on your sanctuary property. So, some bigger ones. Yeah.
Tara Hess: So, so going back to specifically protecting guests when they’re entering resident spaces in addition to having that food and drink policy, the less amount of things folks can bring into the space, the better. Within, you know, within reason, there are going to be certain things that just have to come in, but those things can act as fomites depending on what sort of pathogen we’re talking about. So, if someone’s pushing a stroller, but their kid is walking around just fine, maybe you don’t bring the stroller in, and maybe like a gentle reminder, maybe don’t bring the stroller in. If you’re going to bring your backpack in and just take it off and set it on the ground, it’s probably a better idea to just take it off in that same area where you’re leaving, you know, your water bottle. So, just thinking about that sort of thing. So, one of the biggest risks, I think, in terms of disease exposure to residents, to staff, to guests, and again like for residents, whether it’s zoonotic or not. But one of the biggest risks that comes onto sanctuary properties is new residents because we can provide all the best care, but when those new residents are coming in, they’re rarely coming from great spaces. We often don’t know their history. We don’t know what they’ve been exposed to. They may have been kept in horrific conditions, under extreme stress. They could be super sick. And so, it’s really important that sanctuaries have quarantineThe policy or space in which an individual is separately housed away from others as a preventative measure to protect other residents from potentially contagious health conditions, such as in the case of new residents or residents who may have been exposed to certain diseases. policies for new residents. And as part of that, I think it’s just imperative that guests not be allowed in with quarantined residents, even if they appear healthy, because we just don’t know what they might be shedding and spreading, and it’s just not worth the risk. And like going back to why we separate out what we can do to protect guests from staff. Obviously, someone has to care for those new residents. So, you can’t say, “Well, we’ll just have no one go in, and therefore we’ve seriously reduced the risk,” because someone has to care for them. But there’s no reason that a guest has to go in with a quarantined resident. Even if they are the cutest calf you’ve ever rescued, they just don’t have to. They should wait because it’s not worth the risk. There are so many things you can do working with personnel who you have a relationship with. There’s so much you instill in them because you have this ongoing relationship, and you can provide feedback about what’s going on, and they have likely a different level of understanding of zoonotic disease and how to be safe around residents. That you can’t instill in a guest in a five-second check-in. There’s so much information to relay to them. You can’t give them all of that. With caregivers, there are measures that you take that are sort of relying on their ability to carry them out correctly and safely. But with guests, I think it has to be more about just eliminating unnecessary risk as much as possible, recognizing that you’ll never eliminate it all. So, so finding a balance. But I think the risk with quarantined residents, like that’s just not worth it, especially when we’re talking about the fact that you could have kids or other folks who could be really at risk. It should go without saying that you don’t let guests in with residents who have confirmed or suspected zoonotic disease, but even beyond that, it’s just not a great idea to bring them in with sick individuals, particularly if someone has diarrhea again because so many pathogens are spread in feces, or if they have skin issues that might be spread via direct contact, unless your veterinarian has signed off and been like, “This is what it is; they’re safe to be around”. I would encourage folks to defer to their veterinarian. But in general, airing on the side of caution when it comes to guests, I think, is the way to go because I think you can provide a really wonderful and informative and enlightening experience for folks without bringing them in with everyone. Without, you know, you don’t have to bring them in with certain residents. And that goes again beyond disease, like if somebody’s scared, if somebody just doesn’t like to be around people, it’s the same with zoonotic disease is finding a way to achieve all the things you want while recognizing that when you rescue those babies, which most sanctuaries do, like throwing guests in with them right away, even if it makes for a great photo op, is just not a good idea.
Andie Springirth: Yeah. And I want to circle back actually to a point you made just a minute ago. Not only that experiences that aren’t interactive can be enlightening, it’s not only a possibility, there is research out that shows this in rescue and sanctuary settings that we can have a positive impact on the folks who join our educational programming with and without interactive experiences. I want to stress that because notwithstanding sanctuaries that have a no-guest policy, that sometimes that’s already implemented into folks’ philosophies of not only care but also education. But for folks who are contemplating or putting a program together or they’re just starting out, or even for folks who have been doing this for a long time and they think, “Well, this is the only way that we can possibly create positive change,” it’s just not always the case. We do know that it can certainly have a positive impact when we have responsible interactions, but we do also have research that can make a positive impact without them. So, thank you so much, Tara, for sharing all of those preventive measures with us. I do also want to add an additional recommendation, and you might have briefly touched on this, but I just want to emphasize this as well, to make sure that all of your sanctuary personnel are robustly trained on zoonotic disease and how to mitigate risk. So, this isn’t just like you’re learning about it right here, right now, and then you’re going to be like, “Hey, we’ve got to be careful”. It should be discussed honestly on a regular basis with your sanctuary personnel, not just with the caregiving staff who have higher risk on a daily basis, but also, obviously, since we’re talking about education today, with educators and tour guides, volunteers, etc.. They should be informed regularly about the happenings at the sanctuary and on the health of the residents so we can all continue to make responsible decisions with potential visitors and program participants. Yeah.
Tara Hess: Can I just say because I feel like maybe I sounded like a little bit of a jerk earlier when I was like, “Don’t let them in with like babies”? I totally, I totally understand the drive that guests, and you know this better than me because you’ve led tours, like guests might have certain expectations that don’t line up with what you actually intend to do because they don’t necessarily understand that you’re not a petting zoo. Or they might see a calf over the fence, and like, you know, a brand new calf, and they just really want to interact with them. Like, I totally get it. So, I hope I didn’t sound like a jerk. I just, I know from experience that like those, those are going to be the big risks. Because I myself got Cryptosporidium from a calf. I feel there’s like photo documentation I think of the moment that it occurred. Because even though I was in all my gear with my gloves and my Tyvek suit and my booties, the calf licked my mouth, and I thought it was the cutest thing, and I loved him so much, and I still do, of course, but like no surprise when Tara gets crypto later. So, just like full transparency that like.
Andie Springirth: I get it. And I’ve done lots of things, like not exactly the right way, but because we’re trying to provide the best information we can, that would be the recommendation is being extra careful. Absolutely. It’s not always in our best interest, every participant, right, to to do that. Yeah. Thank you for sharing that. So, one of the final points I want to stress here is the importance of making your preventive protocols, practices, policies, etc., clear on all of your marketing channels. And this is really so that folks are aware ahead of time of what to expect. This allows them to make responsible decisions honestly about whether to come initially, you know, particularly for folks who are more vulnerable to zoonotic disease, but also so that they’re aware, as you mentioned before, that this is not a petting zoo type setting where it’s just kind of a free-for-all, that, you know, you’re trying to facilitate your programming in as responsible a way as possible. So, on the point, too, about folks who are at an increased risk, we also recommend that you encourage folks who are more vulnerable to think about consulting with their primary care providers beforehand about any potential concerns they might have or want them to be aware of. This allows them to make the most responsible decision. Tara, both you and I have been pregnant before in a sanctuary setting. I’m sure that you consulted with your, you know, your OB/GYN and your primary care providers when that occurred. I did the same thing and obviously got the go-ahead that it was okay at the time, but to implement certain practices, newer practices that I hadn’t done before getting pregnant so that I could obviously prevent contracting any kind of zoonotic disease. Friends, thank you so much for joining us again in this space. We hope the information we shared today has been helpful to you and your entire sanctuary community. We know that the topic of zoonosis can be a little scary, but by empowering ourselves with knowledge and a deeper understanding of this topic, we’re always better to enact practices that mitigate risk and keep everyone in our community safe, non-human and human. If you’re interested in learning more and gaining more information on this topic, please check out the resource called “Understanding Zoonotic Disease: An Overview for Animal Sanctuaries”. It’s at www.opensanctuary.org. You can just type it in the search bar; it’ll pop up. In addition to preventative measures sanctuary educators can take to protect folks from zoonotic disease. As I mentioned before, it also takes a deep dive into many of the preventative measures that sanctuary caregivers can take as well. So, do check that out and stay tuned for another podcast episode that focuses on that particular aspect of this topic. Tara, thank you so much for being here. And friends, if you’d like to get in touch with us, please do reach out via our contact page on our website or via social media. We are always happy to hear from you. And if you’ve enjoyed this episode, please feel free to share it with your community. And until next time, please take good care of yourselves and your communities. Bye-bye, friends.
