Boy, 7, breaks into zoo, feeds animals to croc

[pb6656]

Oh - my - gosh - ! That is just horrifying!

 

[txsvicki]

This is scary. I also find the comments of the zoo keeper a little scary. He says since they can't hold the child responsible they have to find someone to blame. He plans to sue the parents for I guess at least $5,500. What if having to pay this amount adds to any neglect the child is going through or prevents the ability to pay for mental health help. The article doesn't say if the boy's parents were at the Zoo and letting him wander around or if he got in there alone. He must have some knowleged of big animals eating small animals. It's a wonder he didn't get in there and get eaten himself.

 

[lorelei]

It sounds like there's probably something verrry wrong with this boy. Where on earth would a 7 year old even get the idea to break into the zoo while they're closed and feed the crocodile? He must live nearby (at least I hope he does) but what kind of kid goes out of his house in the middle of the night and bashes lizards heads in with rocks? This kid needs some serious help IMO.

Also I found this article- it looks like social services is investigating the boys family now.
Northern Territory government reviewing lizard killer's care arrangements
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/03/2381641.htm
" South Australian psychologist says early intervention is needed to ensure children that harm animals do not go on to become violent criminals.

The Northern Territory Government says it is urgently reviewing the care arrangements for a seven-year-old boy who broke into the Alice Springs Reptile Centre and killed more than a dozen animals on Wednesday morning."

 

[OrdinaryLife]

I have no doubt that if someone looked into the young history of this child, he was already exhibiting some frightening behaviour. Perhaps it's taken this horiific act to finally have someone do something for this 7 year old boy. This is *nowhere* near normal for a child this age.

I agree with the question many have asked here. Where were the parents of a 7 year old child???? There is more background to this than we know right now.

 

[Texana]

It didn't sound from the news article as if he would have ANY kind of consequence! How horrifying!

As for where his parents were...if he did something like this--I guarantee you it doesn't matter where they were, they've already done what was necessary to create a little monster boy like this.

He could possibly still not be "broke and can't be fixed" but not with a shrug and a "we'll talk to him" attitude. He's past being "talked to" fixed.

 

[goddess]

He is SEVEN. I cant believe people are ready to give up on him! What if he is mentally ill, and voices told him to do this? Or, he is scared of reptiles and he thought this was the right thing to do? I think this is a very sad tale. One how easy is it to break in a zoo?? Two, where were his parents? Or security? I have way too many unanswereds to condemn this poor kid.

 

[bamabeauty]

I have a seven year old son and first of all I would freak out if he was missing for 5 minutes let alone long enough to break into a zoo and kill animals! It would never occur to him to do that. He still sleeps with his cabbage patch kid and loves spiderman and cartoons.This is definantly extremely disturbing behavior at any age but especially for a child that young! He is just a baby!! So Sad!

 

[GlitchWizard]

This is scary. I also find the comments of the zoo keeper a little scary. He says since they can't hold the child responsible they have to find someone to blame. He plans to sue the parents for I guess at least $5,500. What if having to pay this amount adds to any neglect the child is going through or prevents the ability to pay for mental health help. The article doesn't say if the boy's parents were at the Zoo and letting him wander around or if he got in there alone. He must have some knowleged of big animals eating small animals. It's a wonder he didn't get in there and get eaten himself.

Big animals eat small animals - nature shows, school, pets - general knowledge.

Killing helpless animals - farm life, or again, pets (crickets to lizards, mice/rats/bunnies to snakes.)

He's awfully resourceful for that age. Brave to be off by himself. Perhaps they could intervene early and get him to use that strength, resourcefulness and can-do attitude for good instead of bad.

 

[Annie]

Big animals eat small animals - nature shows, school, pets - general knowledge.

Killing helpless animals - farm life, or again, pets (crickets to lizards, mice/rats/bunnies to snakes.)

He's awfully resourceful for that age. Brave to be off by himself. Perhaps they could intervene early and get him to use that strength, resourcefulness and can-do attitude for good instead of bad.

Resourceful......Brave.....

I go with weird and probably deranged.

 

[ArizonaGiGi]

Big animals eat small animals - nature shows, school, pets - general knowledge.

Killing helpless animals - farm life, or again, pets (crickets to lizards, mice/rats/bunnies to snakes.)

He's awfully resourceful for that age. Brave to be off by himself. Perhaps they could intervene early and get him to use that strength, resourcefulness and can-do attitude for good instead of bad.

Ummmm.....ur kiddin' right? Can-do attitude? Can do what? Kill animals? Smash them and bash them to death?

I don't for a minute believe that he was just having a fun night at the zoo (breaking in after hours) wanting to emmulate something he saw on National Geographic; be nice and feed the croc. He went on a killing spree. He wasn't just feeding the animals to the croc, he was bashing in lizards' heads with a rock. I don't think he saw that on any nature show. He's just a creepy, scarey, 7 year old killer. A killer he is. He has no consience. Yep, I give up on him. You can't "teach" him to have a consience. And I'm betting it's not the first time he has killed an animal.

 

[Lady Loves Lurking]

Big animals eat small animals - nature shows, school, pets - general knowledge.

Killing helpless animals - farm life, or again, pets (crickets to lizards, mice/rats/bunnies to snakes.)

He's awfully resourceful for that age. Brave to be off by himself. Perhaps they could intervene early and get him to use that strength, resourcefulness and can-do attitude for good instead of bad.

Personally i think there is a big difference between brutally killing some harmless reptiles and feeding a mouse to a pet snake.
JMO

 

[laini]

Big animals eat small animals - nature shows, school, pets - general knowledge.

Killing helpless animals - farm life, or again, pets (crickets to lizards, mice/rats/bunnies to snakes.)

He's awfully resourceful for that age. Brave to be off by himself. Perhaps they could intervene early and get him to use that strength, resourcefulness and can-do attitude for good instead of bad.

Like Dexter?

 

[Kymistry35]

Like Dexter?

Even though this is a serious subject, I couldn't help but LOL at that one.

 

[Jesikah1]

Big animals eat small animals - nature shows, school, pets - general knowledge.

Killing helpless animals - farm life, or again, pets (crickets to lizards, mice/rats/bunnies to snakes.)

He's awfully resourceful for that age. Brave to be off by himself. Perhaps they could intervene early and get him to use that strength, resourcefulness and can-do attitude for good instead of bad.

I understand what you are saying and was willing to give this child the benefit of the doubt regarding wanting to feed the alligator. Perhaps, he frequented the Zoo and had seen caregivers feed them. However, as soon as I read that he had smashed the other animals' heads in with rocks, the same animals that if he had frequented the zoo, he would have learned about too, I realized that most likely there is some major issues going on.
But while I disagree with your analysis, I did find it interesting to see a different point of view. It is never a bad thing to view the possible positives in a situation, unfortunately in this one, to me some serious danger signs are blowing. JMO!

 

[Lady Loves Lurking]

Like Dexter?

:clap: that made me giggle this am!

 

[PrayersForMaura]

this child is warped and this story makes me ill.

 

[GlitchWizard]

Ummmm.....ur kiddin' right? Can-do attitude? Can do what? Kill animals? Smash them and bash them to death?

I don't for a minute believe that he was just having a fun night at the zoo (breaking in after hours) wanting to emmulate something he saw on National Geographic; be nice and feed the croc. He went on a killing spree. He wasn't just feeding the animals to the croc, he was bashing in lizards' heads with a rock. I don't think he saw that on any nature show. He's just a creepy, scarey, 7 year old killer. A killer he is. He has no consience. Yep, I give up on him. You can't "teach" him to have a consience. And I'm betting it's not the first time he has killed an animal.

ha ha, no, I didn't mean can do attitude to kill something, sorry! I meant at that age, kids are normally rather still stuck to their parents and not able to leave them to go somewhere like that anymore. I used to build tree forts and run around in the woods, but now days, most kids are linked to a computer or videogame or television. He is adventuresome, smart, capable and can handle himself. Granted he did things we disapprove of, but back in caveman days, he'd have been praised as resourceful and capable of hunting. I guess I have neighborhood kids that all go hunting and clean their own deer, rabbits and squirrels. I personally am gut wrenching sick about it, but it's a way of life here. The difference is, they then EAT their prey where this boy FED the prey to something else. He was too young to view it as freaky as we view it as. I think there's time.

And Dexter? Sure. If the boy killed the animals to feed the alligator because no one fed the captive alligator, that would be good, feeding a well fed alligator other animals is not good. Someone can teach him that.

I'd take him. I'd raise him right. I'd also like him around when the bird flu hits or another depression. He can go in the woods and get some rabbits for me to stew up. I could never kill them myself. (I'm just kidding here.)

Anyway, yes, killing the animals IS as gross as feeding a pet snake a rat. Have you ever read the directions to get a snake to eat when it refuses to eat? First, you whap the rat on the wall (fling it by it's tail, whapping the head until it's dead) If the snake doesn't eat it when you wiggle it around, you have to crack open it's skull and stir the brains up a bit so it can smell them. I would never. I could never. People do. Personally, I toss it in there and hope it doesn't bite my snake and kill it from the nasty germs in it's mouth (lost one that way.) If it doesn't eat, I remove the rat and let it freeze to death in my freezer and try again another day.

It's violent. Especially a bearded dragon eating a fuzzy mouse. They bash it's skull on the glass and chew it alive. It's horrific. I can't watch. My kid could watch it for hours. *shudder*

 

[GlitchWizard]

I understand what you are saying and was willing to give this child the benefit of the doubt regarding wanting to feed the alligator. Perhaps, he frequented the Zoo and had seen caregivers feed them. However, as soon as I read that he had smashed the other animals' heads in with rocks, the same animals that if he had frequented the zoo, he would have learned about too, I realized that most likely there is some major issues going on.
But while I disagree with your analysis, I did find it interesting to see a different point of view. It is never a bad thing to view the possible positives in a situation, unfortunately in this one, to me some serious danger signs are blowing. JMO!

One of my friends has labeled me "Hopelessly Optimistic." I'm pretty sure that was not meant as a compliment.

 

[Lady Loves Lurking]

ha ha, no, I didn't mean can do attitude to kill something, sorry! I meant at that age, kids are normally rather still stuck to their parents and not able to leave them to go somewhere like that anymore. I used to build tree forts and run around in the woods, but now days, most kids are linked to a computer or videogame or television. He is adventuresome, smart, capable and can handle himself. Granted he did things we disapprove of, but back in caveman days, he'd have been praised as resourceful and capable of hunting. I guess I have neighborhood kids that all go hunting and clean their own deer, rabbits and squirrels. I personally am gut wrenching sick about it, but it's a way of life here. The difference is, they then EAT their prey where this boy FED the prey to something else. He was too young to view it as freaky as we view it as. I think there's time.

And Dexter? Sure. If the boy killed the animals to feed the alligator because no one fed the captive alligator, that would be good, feeding a well fed alligator other animals is not good. Someone can teach him that.

I'd take him. I'd raise him right. I'd also like him around when the bird flu hits or another depression. He can go in the woods and get some rabbits for me to stew up. I could never kill them myself. (I'm just kidding here.)

Anyway, yes, killing the animals IS as gross as feeding a pet snake a rat. Have you ever read the directions to get a snake to eat when it refuses to eat? First, you whap the rat on the wall (fling it by it's tail, whapping the head until it's dead) If the snake doesn't eat it when you wiggle it around, you have to crack open it's skull and stir the brains up a bit so it can smell them. I would never. I could never. People do. Personally, I toss it in there and hope it doesn't bite my snake and kill it from the nasty germs in it's mouth (lost one that way.) If it doesn't eat, I remove the rat and let it freeze to death in my freezer and try again another day.

It's violent. Especially a bearded dragon eating a fuzzy mouse. They bash it's skull on the glass and chew it alive. It's horrific. I can't watch. My kid could watch it for hours. *shudder*

No offense, but your snake husbandry skills are lacking. I know some great web forums and blogs that can bring you up to speed. I hope you don't find my post insulting. I think you would really fit in at one I'm on.