Pregnancy: Zoos and Animals

Is it true that a pregnant women should not go to a zoo?

Shalom!

Thank you for your question.

A woman during pregnancy, and even when trying to get pregnant should conduct herself with an added level of holiness. For example, from the time a woman immerses in a mikva until she has resumed relations with her husband, she should make an effort not to look at anything impure, such as a dog or other non-kosher animal. We are told that the things a woman sees following her immersion in a mikva can affect her children even before they are conceived. However, if after immersing in the Mikveh, she looks at the lady Mikveh attendant (Bal'anit) who is a kosher person, then whatever she will look at later will not have any effect. 

Additionally, pregnant and nursing women should be extra careful to ensure that everything they eat is strictly kosher. This is because non-kosher food is especially harmful to babies –even a fetus-- and can have a negative effect on their development.

An extension of this is those who adopt the opinion of the Kav Ha'yashar Chapter 97 that a woman should not look at impure animals during her pregnancy, not only does it include not going to the zoo where most of the animals in the zoo are impure it also includes domestic animals like a cat.

Kav Hayashar 97; Rema, YD 198:48; Shach, YD 198:61; Darkei Moshe, OC 617; YD 81:7; Pri Chadash, YD 81. See story in Kohelet Rabba 7:18.