Protected contact is when there is a barrier between you and an animal. Usually mesh or fence or caging. Free contact means no barrier between trainer and otter. Usually inside the animals enclosure.
You don’t really want to see zoos allowing free contact with large, dangerous animals like big cats. Any facility that has its keepers work free contact with things like tigers and lions is extremely suspect. Elephants, rhinos, and hippos are pretty much never free contact because of how big they are and how much damage they could potentially cause even by mistake. On the other hand, free contact is fairly common with things like smallish monkeys, most birds, and the smaller marine mammals.
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