Boy Falls into African Painted Dog Exhibit at Piitsburgh Zoo Dies

[nursebeeme]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/0...-mauling-at-pennsylvania-zoo/?intcmp=trending
autopsy planned for little boy

 

[Marah]

That video has been disabled.

It works if you click on it to watch on youtube, I don't know how to just post a link to it.

Painted dogs prompt Pittsburgh Zoo closure on youtube, don't know how to do it not embedded. SOrry.

 

[oh_gal]

I've been to about 10 different zoos across the country, including this one, a few years ago. I don't want to say I didn't feel "safe" there, but it seemed, anyway, like the animals were a lot closer to the humans than any other zoo I've ever been to. Kind of eerie.

 

[Skagirl]

This article mentions a statement made by one of the police officers and that there's a discrepancy between whther the boy fell 14 feet or 11 feet. It also mentions that there will be an autopsy done today to determine cause of death.

The mother had picked the child up and put him on top of a railing at the edge of a viewing deck at the Pittsburgh Zoo late Sunday morning, Lt. Kevin Kraus of the Pittsburgh police said.

"Almost immediately after that he lost his balance, fell down off the railing into the pit, and he was immediately attacked by 11 dogs," Kraus said. "It was very horrific."

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/national_world&id=8873735

 

[Trident]

I've seen parents do stuff like this (lifting their kids up for a better peek). It is a stupid and careless thing to do, but I think a lot of parents have let their guard down where safety or following the rules in circumstances like this are concerned. For all we know, this mom saw another parent do this, or she'd done the same thing, countless times before and nothing bad ever happened. Does it make it right? Of course not. But look around you...it happens everywhere, the whole, "Rules are for everyone else, not me," attitude.

This was a tragic way to learn a lesson, but hopefully Mom did, in case she has other children to care for. She will suffer for the rest of her life over her actions.

Prosecuting her might deter other parents from doing the same (and that's debatable), but nothing will bring her boy back.

You always have a common sense, compassionate point of view. Thank you for this post.

Stuff happens, has always happened, will continue to happen - what good will it do to make things worse for a grieving mother?

 

[peeples]

Daily mail article has pics and video of the area and some details i hadn't read in other articles


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...er-dangles-railings.html?ICO=most_read_module

 

[JeannaT]

Daily mail article has pics and video of the area and some details i hadn't read in other articles


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...er-dangles-railings.html?ICO=most_read_module

I wonder if that ABC virtual view is correct. Weren't they the ones who got the George Zimmerman cartoon so totally incorrect, showing Zimmerman as a huge blonde man and Trayvon Martin as a small scared little kid about the size of a 7 year old?

So I don't know, if in this case, they bothered to show this zoo case correctly. If they did, that's an outrage to perch the child up on this tall ledge and not hold him. Even if there were no wild dogs below, that's DANGEROUS.

But anyway, don't know if it's correct.

 

[Yoda]

The viewing deck.

 

[Yoda]

Correction: zoo spoke to medical examiner. I'm just going to link.
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012...ffer-new-details-after-childs-tragic-death-2/

 

[Yoda]

WARNING- heartbreaking.
Quote below link.

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012/11/05/toddlers-zoo-death-traumatic-for-family-witnesses/


"A couple of the men around that area were running up to the dog pen and banging on the wood trying to get the dogs to kind of leave the kid alone, telling the kid to run,” one witness said.

 

[michmi]

Yeah let's just make the Mom feel even worse then she probably already does. Allot of people hold their kids up to get a better view of things, her Dad probably did it to her when she was a kid as mine did to me and my siblings(I do not do this with my kids however). I am not saying this is right but it is a fact that people do this and will continue to do it so places really should think about adding more safety measures so things like this won't happen. Like adding bars, a larger net, etc.

The thing I am mad about is that someone didn't jump in right away to save the child. I would have jumped in a heart beat and covered him with my body if I was unable to fend them off, especially if he was my child.

First of all, just because a lot of people do it doesn't make it okay and doesn't put the burden on the zoo to add "more safety measures so things like this won't happen". How about parents not putting their kids up so they can see better?

And second, I'm glad you'd jump in there with the wild dogs, but I would never. Not even for a child. You notice the mother didn't get in there with them. At least she had sense enough not to.

 

[tlcya]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycaon_pictus#section_3

These are wild animals with a strong hunt kill instinct. They did not do a bad thing IMO. They did exactly what they were created to do, and while it is tragic, I cannot blame them.
the child's mother did a very stupid thing which cost her her child. Not beating up on her because she will no doubt do that to herself for the rest of her days.

And yes a child crying does sound similar to an injured or juvenile animl in distress, which does attract the immediate attention of predators and triggers their kill response. Its the same instict that is awakened in domesticated canines by squeeky toys we so lovingly provide to them.

ETA that i agree, these dogs should not be harmed.

They did a bad thing, but the child fell into their den crying probably?
And they wanted to attack the noise right?:waitasec:

 

[michmi]

Signs will not help. People don't listen to signs, that's why more safety features should be put into place. I am not saying this is the Zoo's fault, I am saying places need to take into consideration that people are stupid and do not listen to signs.

Another thing is that they should have shot all those dogs to try and get to him. I don't care that they are endangered animals, a child's life is more important then an animals life.

If people are THAT stupid and ignore clear signs telling them not to do something, then too bad when the inevitable happens.

I dare them to shoot those dogs--they were where they were SUPPOSED to be, and did what they are supposed to do. Guess who was out of place?

 

[eileenhawkeye]

The zoo has not made a decision as to whether or not they will keep them yet.

The dogs have been placed in quarantine and will remain there for 30 days. All are up to date on their medical care and will not be euthanized.

A little confused...Is the zoo going to give them to another zoo?

I will blow if these dogs lose their lives because of some incompetent idiot.

 

[TexasCharm]

A little confused...Is the zoo going to give them to another zoo?

I will blow if these dogs lose their lives because of some incompetent idiot.

Go ahead and blow .. because a CHILD lost his life due to the <name you called> ...

 

[eileenhawkeye]

Go ahead and blow .. because a CHILD lost his life due to the <name you called> ...

The child lost his life due to his mother's actions. The rest of the pack should not lose their lives too. They were acting how wild animals act.

 

[TexasCharm]

The child lost his life due to his mother's actions. The rest of the pack should not lose their lives too. They were acting how wild animals act.

That's my point ..

 

[Hopeful One]

Victim pictured and name released. What a cutie.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2227757/Pittsburgh-zoo-death-Maddox-Derkosh-mauled-death-African-wild-dogs-mother-dangles-railings.html?ICO=most_read_module

 

[Hopeful One]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2227757/Pittsburgh-zoo-death-Maddox-Derkosh-mauled-death-African-wild-dogs-mother-dangles-railings.html?ICO=most_read_module

Also, a medical examiner concluded today that the toddler was killed by the animals, not by the fall.

 

[Gracenote]

I don't like zoos as a rule. I know that some do great things to save species, but otherwise it is sad to enclose wild animals. It is hard for me to forget the killer whale who killed his trainer a few years ago. He had already killed a previous person, although he was just doing what he was programmed to do out in an open ocean.

When dogs go into pack mode, it takes a lot to get another dog or small animal away from them as I know too well. In my opinion this was no one's fault. The mother set him up there for a minute and he either slipped or leaned forward or wriggled away from her. She would never have done it knowing the outcome. People tried to help but they couldn't get into the enclosure it sounds like, so they yelled and banged and tried to distract the animals. The keepers backed away all the dogs except one and they rightly put him down so they could get to the child. Everyone did what they could, but just like tragedies that happen every day, the child died. It is beyond sad.