Disneyland - Big Thunder Ranch Petting Zoo

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disneyland/big-thunder-ranch-petting-zoo/

My love for animals is pretty consistent. I am always glad to see animals, always want to touch them, but am also likely to worry about them.

We would sometimes see references to a petting zoo without it being there, so I think there was a gradual buildup and acclimatization before it became what it is today, and I suppose it may change again.

We saw goats, sheep, a horse, and donkeys. One of the biggest letdowns with a petting zoo is when the animals aren't that interested in being pet (or fed for some attractions) because they get too much contact.

There was a little of that here, but not as much as you might think, because they seem to rotate the animals. We looked around on our way between Frontierland and Fantasyland once, and then came back later to pet animals. It was a different horse when we came back, and the donkeys were gone. There are pens where the animals can be seen but not touched, and other areas where they can be touched. They do get rests. Other animals mentioned as being at the ranch that we did not see include cows, pigs, turkeys, and even reindeer at times, but we did not see these.

(Also, the horses always have a handler, which I'm sure is a safety issue, but is good for the welfare of the horse as well.)

This does not guarantee that every animal is longing for attention, but at least one goat moved to be closer to me, and I felt good about that.