Whether you are planning a petting zoo at the 40 Acres Fest or an educational exhibition using live snakes, it is important to make safety a top priority. Any group wanting to display live animals on campus as part of a fair, festival, exhibition, or event must get prior approval from the Environmental Health and Safety office. Please fill out and email to Environmental Health and Safety the Live Animal Exhibit Request Form (PDF) at least 10 working days before your event. In addition the following guidelines should always be observed:
- Practice proper animal care and management to reduce the risk for injuries and disease transmission
- All areas where the public has direct contact with animals must be equipped with hand washing facilities (or an equivalent, such as antibacterial hand-wipes) in the immediate vicinity of the contact
- Report any injuries caused to a human by an animal on campus to Environmental Health and Safety, and complete a Preliminary Summary Report Form (PDF) as soon as possible
- Download and read Recommendations for Live Animal Exhibits on The University of Texas at Austin Campus (PDF) for more information
- Please note, animal events must be held outdoors with rare exceptions (weather is not an exception).
- Personal pets are not permitted.
Note: Environmental Health and Safety reserves the right to prohibit live animal exhibits / demonstrations at any time and for any reason, and certain types of animals will never be permitted on campus at any time. The above guidelines do not apply to the Texas Memorial Museum, laboratory animals, Bevo, service dogs, or people walking dogs through campus.