INTRODUCTION: In Germany, human exposures to animals are rare in comparison to those caused by drugs, chemicals, and plants. We aimed to characterize human exposures to animals and exotic pets, including the age group and sex of the involved person, symptom severity, management, the identity of the individual calling the Poisons Information Centre Erfurt, and the place of exposure. METHODS: All human exposures involving animals and exotic pets referred to the Poisons Information Centre Erfurt from 2013 to 2022 were retrospectively analysed. RESULTS: There were 1,799 human exposures to animals between 2013 and 2022, of which 62.8% were symptomatic. Children ( DISCUSSION: The low proportion (0.7%) of human exposures to animals ( CONCLUSIONS: Exposures to animals reported to the Poisons Information Centre Erfurt slightly increased from 2013 to 2022, while exposures to exotic pets (mostly aquatic species) stayed at a low level.