'Nightmare': Melbourne toddler dies after petting zoo visit

A three-year-old Australian girl has died after a visit to a petting zoo triggered a bacterial infection, prompting health authorities to raise the alarm about the rare but potentially fatal syndrome. Sassi died in a Melbourne hospital after developing Haemolytic-uraemic syndrome, known as HUS, seven weeks after a trip to a petting zoo where she held, rode and petted animals, the Salter family said in a GoFundMe post. The family of four said they had "been living a nightmare" after the toddler spent six weeks in intensive care battling kidney failure and a brain injury. "We've lost our darling girl," the family wrote. "Sassi was strong. Surprising many at each corner. She was courageous and a fighter. She fought so hard. We all fought so hard."