Wiktionary
n. A zoo that permits or encourages visitors to touch animals.
WordNet
n. a collection of docile animals for children to pet and feed
Wikipedia
A petting zoo (often called, or part of, a "children's zoo") features a combination of domesticated animals and some wild species that are docile enough to touch and feed. In addition to independent petting zoos, also called children's farms or petting farms, many general zoos contain a petting zoo. Some petting zoos can be found in city parks, and some petting zoos are also mobile and will travel to a home for a children's party or event. Many areas have a qualified mobile petting zoo. One of the first mobile petting zoos in Australia (begun in 1992), was Kindifarm. As a result of its popularity, many people now call petting zoos, kindy farms. In Australia mobile petting zoos are allowed in schools, child care centres and even shopping centres. For lots of children this is their first opportunity to see and touch an animal.
Most petting zoos are designed to provide only relatively placid, herbivorous domesticated animals, such as sheep, goats, rabbits, or ponies, to feed and interact physically with safely. This is in contrast to the usual zoo experience, where normally wild animals are viewed from behind safe enclosures where no contact is possible. A few provide wild species (such as pythons or big cat cubs) to interact with, but these are rare and usually found outside Western nations.
Touching animals can result in the transmission of diseases between animals and humans ( zoonoses) so it is recommended that people should thoroughly wash their hands before and after touching the animals. There have been several outbreaks of E. coli etc.
Petting Zoo is a 2015 internationally co-produced drama film directed by Micah Magee. It was screened in the Panorama section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival.
"Petting Zoo" is a song by Canadian electronic music producer Deadmau5. It was an unreleased track, but it was later added to the album while(1 as a bonus track in the Best Buy version. The song was originally uploaded to his SoundCloud on 30 January 2014, but, along with all of his other songs on the album while(1 it was later removed. It has since been added to http://live.deadmau5.com/ for Digital Download
Usage examples of "petting zoo".
Vince knew about the slaughter at the Irvine Park petting zoo, the murder of Wes Dalberg, and the men at Bordeaux Ridge.
They took the usual shortcut through Forest Park, but they had a flat tire near the petting zoo.
Observing his playful interaction with the cat, the rest of the children hurried over to join in the fun, rapidly turning Isis into a one-cat petting zoo.
From the last seat in the rear row, with the Petting Zoo reflected in the window behind her, the dog Briseis looked at him.
He headed back to Papa Lani to make the calls and write the paper that would torpedo any hope of Jon Thomas Fuller's ever building a captive dolphin petting zoo on Maui.
Then it was off to the petting zoo for an extended session of touchy-feely-smelly with animals more commonly enjoyed in the kitchen and dining room than roaming at will about the house.