State Fair -- Animals at the Fair

While I was taking pictures at the fair I discovered a hitherto-unknown talent: I can capture camels in mid-goofy-expression.

They can be sitting there peacably, not moving a muscle, but as soon as I point a camera at them Things Happen. Cud begins rumbling around, they start flapping their noses, snorting, grinding their teeth -- they do everything but make bunny ears over each other's heads. (Bunny hooves?) And instead of peacable ruminants I get Camels Mugging for the Camera.

You might be a bit surprised to be reading about camels at the North Carolina State Fair. After all, this is an agricultural showcase. Sure, there are cows, goats, chickens, and other farmyard animals, but camels?

You bet! There are plenty of exhibitions of agricultural animals, but there are also two petting zoos, featuring animals you might not expect.

The first petting zoo is at the bottom of the new midway; it's the same one that used to be at the top of the hill near the Circle C Racing Pigs. Here are camels, lots of goats, miniature horses, and a few animals which aren't pettable (including a kangaroo and a few very adorable ring-tailed lemurs.) An elephant is available for rides, and there are vending machines which dispense feed -- bring plenty of quarters.

If you've got little kids and they want to see the animals, take them to this petting zoo. The other petting zoo is across the fairgrounds near the Village of Yesteryear. That petting zoo also has camels and other animals, but also has many goats wandering around outside of cages. If the goats have the slightest suspicion that you have ever held food in your hands in your entire life, they'll try to jump up and lean on you until they get a handout.

They're not particularly aggressive, but they're large enough that they could easily knock a little kid over. Of course, some of them try to circumvent you entirely and go straight to the food dispensers. Heard of the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie? This is what happens if you give a goat a quarter.

Even if you're big enough that you're not liable to be knocked over by a goat, be sure to tuck your shirt in. Some of these goats can't tell the difference between a denim shirt and lunch. Oh well, I didn't like that shirt that much anyway....

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