When we think of petting zoos today, we think of a delightful experience for small kids. The animals are usually fluffy and gentle, and children can approach them safely.

But, in the 70’s and 80’s, pettings zoos used to be quite a bit rougher. As in, “We put an apex predator in this cage, go inside and get mauled” rougher.

One Redditor shared a photo series of her as a small child at one such petting zoo and, well, it didn’t look like much fun. She made it out OK, but she summed up the whole experience succinctly: “My parents weren’t exactly overprotective.”

Check out her trip to the danger zone below:

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h/t: Reddit