But now, that fence is gone.

The door of each stall is grated, and open spaces allow guests to see the animals and, if willing, touch them.

“You can put your hand right up to the enclosure and touch the animals or feed them,” said Carla Murray, a Maymont spokeswoman. “We wanted to offer our guests more interaction with the animals.”

It also will be easier for the animals to move around, both inside and outside the barn. Before, animals had to be let in or out of the barn. But now, the renovation offers more choices. For instance, if the weather is warm, animals on their own can go inside the barn where it’s shady and have fans blowing on them. There are also more spaces for the animals, with extra paddocks added to the back of the barn.

Food vending machines

Forget about carrying around quarters for the old coin-operated machines in order to get food for the animals.

New feeding machines will take bills or credit cards, but no coins. Animal food can be purchased in $1, $3, $5 and $10 increments. The new minimum will be 1.6 ounces of food for $1, which is about the same price with the coin-operated machines.