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:
1.
![](https://awkward.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/cat-1.jpg)
Photo Credit: Reddit
2.
![](https://awkward.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/cat-2.jpg)
Photo Credit: Reddit
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![](https://awkward.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/cat-3.jpg)
Photo Credit: Reddit
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![](https://awkward.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/cat-4.jpg)
Photo Credit: Reddit
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![](https://awkward.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/cat-5.jpg)
Photo Credit: Reddit
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![](https://awkward.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/cat-6.jpg)
Photo Credit: Reddit
7.
![](https://awkward.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/cat-7.jpg)
Photo Credit: Reddit
8.
![](https://awkward.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/cat-8.jpg)
Photo Credit: Reddit
9.
![](https://awkward.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/cat-9.jpg)
Photo Credit: Reddit
h/t: Reddit