William Butler Yeats used this story as background for a famous poem. A good example is the story of Zeus, who in the form of a swan, had sexual intercourse with Leda, the queen of Sparta. Tales of human-animal sexual contact can be found throughout ancient folklore and mythology. Human relationships with animals have been a topic of interest for people for hundreds of years. For more information, see the related Q&As. Contact with animals can put the person at risk for worms, fleas, ticks, salmonella, campylobacteriosis, scabies, and possibly viruses. Zoophilia is sometimes distinguished from bestiality as incorporating a relationship or emotional attachment with an animal, in addition to sexual contact.Īlthough data is scarce, we do know that having sex with animals may transmit infections. Humans having sex with animals, otherwise called bestiality or zoophilia, is believed to be fairly uncommon, but because of the stigmatization associated with this behavior, research and data is limited.
