Otters relax with furry friends at pop-up petting zoo

By Mark Muckenfuss

A little pet therapy went a long way for some CSU Monterey Bay students on Wednesday afternoon, May 10. 

Monterey Bay Equestrian Center brought a petting zoo with guinea pigs, rabbits, goats, miniature pigs and chickens – one of which laid an egg – to the main quad. A steady line of students waited up to 25 minutes to get a dose of fur and feathers on their fingertips. Eight people at a time were allowed into the pen that held the animals and were given five minutes to get a farmyard fix. 

“It made me very happy,” said Kato Vandepoele, a junior from Laguna Beach studying marine science. “I got to relax for five minutes.”

The chance to de-stress was the idea behind the event. With finals looming next week, Vandepoele, like many of her fellow students, said she was feeling the pressure, and then some. 

“We’re in the process of leasing a house and having to do finals, so there’s a lot of stuff going on,” she said. “This was a nice break and a real relaxation moment.”

Madison Franke said she was able to focus just on the experience of holding a pig, something she has long wanted to do. 

“I got to hold it and pet it,” said Franke, a third-year biology major from Dublin, California. “It was cute. It got my mind off of everything, really.”

Some students, such as Melissa Stevenson, took full advantage of the menagerie.

“I petted a bunny and a chicken and a guinea pig and a goat,” said Stevenson, a first-year biology student from Concord. “The bunnies, I think, were my favorite.” 

She said her 25-minute wait in line was well worth it. 

“I would have waited three hours for five minutes with them,” she said, motioning to the animals in the pen. “I feel a good calm.”

The students seemed to treasure the petting zoo animal experience. 

“I feel like I just want to stay here,” Vandepoele said. “I’d love to sit there all day.”