Oh Missouri, how I do not miss you, and your petting zoos that feature a bear cub.

Former student and future veterinarian Gonzalo said next it will be petting zoos with skunks, raccoons and bats, because they are all cute.

(There’s been a dead flying fox, or bat, decomposing on the road where daughter Sorenne and I walk every day and it has provided many a moment for us to discuss zoonoses.)

The Missouri take on this story is that a bear cub that nipped students at Washington University was not rabid and will not be euthanized, officials of the St. Louis school said Friday.

The 18 students who sustained skin-breaking bites have been notified they will not need rabies vaccinations.

The petting zoo had been allowed on campus as a stress reliever for students during finals week. Besides the small bear, named Boo Boo, it included a variety of animals, such as goats and a baby pig.

Several students held and cuddled the bear. It nipped at some of them, university spokeswoman Susan Killenberg McGinn said Friday.

The bear was born in the wild and was part of a petting zoo operated by Cindy’s Zoo in Moscow Mills, Missouri. A message left Friday with owner Cindy Farmer was not returned.