Boy Falls into African Painted Dog Exhibit at Piitsburgh Zoo Dies

[shadowraiths]

Another perspective ( link )

I would imagine the wild dogs' perspective on this event would be: What just fell into our enclosure? Let's go and see! It's not scary, but it's moving—let's bite it (assuming they did; I don't know if they did)! Our keepers are trying to distract us, but this thing is new and way more interesting.

[...]

I very much doubt that this was a predatory attack.

Had these dogs been serious about killing such a small child for food, I think that such a large pack would have done a great deal more damage in the time the child was in the enclosure. A wild pack of that size would dismember prey of that size within seconds and consume it within minutes.
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[MissExec]

It doesn't need to be deliberate.

In matters of law and manner of death, it's death by the hand of another.

Like criminally negligent homicide in that it was foreseeable and mom showed reckless disregard.

It's either reckless homicide or involuntary manslaughter. It's one of those cases that just breaks your heart. A judge has discretion to sentence to probation. I'm enclosing a link to a similar case where a toddler died and his father was sentenced to 90 days in jail. The day the father was to report to serve his sentence, he went to the place where his son's body was found and shot himself.

http://www.pulitzer.org/works/2002-Feature-Writing

 

[Only4Justice]

Lordy. The more I hear about this, the more I believe she should be charged. If it's true, and many witness can verify this that she STOOD that toddler on that very uneven surface (meant to make children balanced there fall backward into the parents' arms) and then she backed away and didn't hold the child, this was gross felony neglect, imho. I've certainly lifted toddlers up, and can see a parent seating a child on that narrow beam while holding the child around the waist with both arms, but to STAND a toddler up on that uneven narrow beam high above the ground and then let go - I'd call that manslaughter.

If that's not what actually happened, I take all this back.

As a mother, I agree. I would NEVER put my child in danger that way. I feel the mother made a bad decision, the fault for this lies on her shoulders IMO.

 

[SpriteGal]

I haven't seen anyone saying the life of the dogs was more important than the child's. The only statements I have seen is 1.) that you can't blame the animals. (You can't, they have no process of wrong or right. ). 2.) If the mother should be charged or not. 3.) That animals shouldn't be punished for their actions which goes along with number 1. IMO.

 

[SpriteGal]

I really doubt anyone on this forum would disagree that if there was a chance that shooting and killing the dogs would save the boy, it should be done. If it could have been done- of course!!!

 

[alwaysonmymind]

Wow.


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[Ausgirl]

Some folks maybe need to back slowly away from the internet..

Wild animals in a zoo are not to blame for human negligence or accident. It's not like they were roaming free in a city - and if they were, again that'd be humans to blame. But yeah, save the child by any means, it's a child in a pit full of wild animals. It's not rocket science.

 

[LaborDayRN]

I think we can all agree that this was a horrific tragedy for everyone involved. The innocent child, the people who witnessed it, the workers at the zoo.....just unthinkable. If it turns out that the mother was negligent, I doubt there is a punishment that can be inflicted upon her that is worse than what she is suffering now. That however doesn't mean that she shouldn't be held accountable. It's really no different that having your child unrestrained in a moving vehicle. Placing them in harms way is negligent. This is all MOO.

 

[Babyslims]

I usually try to stay away from these threads about children who are hurt or die because of their parents choices. I hate pointing fingers or adding salt to the wounds when you know the mother is probably beating herself up. This story really tugs at my heart. The pain that poor little one must of went through


The thing that bugs me the most is the fact that neither the mother, father or a bystander jumped down to the child. There is no way I could stand by and watch my own child or anyone's child being attacked by wild dogs.

It kinda reminds me of those stories you hear of a person being beat up to death by a group of people and others just stood around and did nothing.

 

[michmi]

The thing that bugs me the most is the fact that neither the mother, father or a bystander jumped down to the child. There is no way I could stand by and watch my own child or anyone's child being attacked by wild dogs.

It kinda reminds me of those stories you hear of a person being beat up to death by a group of people and others just stood around and did nothing.

I don't think you're aware of how horrific an attack like this is. If you were there witnessing it, I don't think you'd jump in there, I really don't.

BTW, the father was not with the mother and son when this happened.

 

[Sonya610]

The thing that bugs me the most is the fact that neither the mother, father or a bystander jumped down to the child. There is no way I could stand by and watch my own child or anyone's child being attacked by wild dogs.

It kinda reminds me of those stories you hear of a person being beat up to death by a group of people and others just stood around and did nothing.

If you jumped into that pit then you would have been mauled to death too, if anyone was obligated to jump to their death in a vain attempt to save the toddler it would be the mother, not innocent bystanders.

I have seen my own lovely domestic canines pack on smaller wild animals (that got into their yard) and it ain't pretty, when several dogs go into a frenzy, grab the victim and start pulling from different directions and ripping it is over quick. Interference and trying to distract some of the dogs won't save the victim, if anything it will just make the victim's death slower and more painful. Wild canids are much faster, stronger, and deadlier, if they pack on a smaller victim it would be over pretty darn fast.

Once a full on attack started it was a done deal and the most one could hope for is that it would be over quick. The moral of the story isn't that "someone should have done something after the attack started", the moral is "don't drop your baby into a pit of wild dogs".

 

[packerdog]

What do these kind of dogs eat in captivity? Dog food? Live animals?

 

[Linda7NJ]

What do these kind of dogs eat in captivity? Dog food? Live animals?

I would imagine some sort of raw food with some veggies tossed in, along with supplements. Unless purina makes a african painted dog chow.... Purina makes a chow for almost everything.


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[Elley Mae]

http://www.pittsburghzoo.org/animal.aspx?id=18

Food: African painted dogs are hunters. They eat antelope, zebras, wildebeest, springboks, gazelles and impala.

From their web site

 

[Hopeful One]

JMO but I don't think adults jumping into the exhibit would have saved the child. They would have been mauled as well. Things could have been much worse, with maybe even more deaths, if we had adults jumping in there. These aren't like domesticated dogs. You can't just shew them away, obviously.

I don't know if I would have jumped in to save him if I was there. I don't think any of us do. It's one thing to assume you would but sometimes our natural instincts aren't as predictable as we think they are.

 

[SailorMoon]

I don't know why they don't have an area made of plexiglass so the little ones can see. It's not that expensive or hard to do. They can't climb it. I've never heard of this breed but they sound very violent. I feel so bad for the mother she will never be able to forgive herself. I read something about a lawsuit. People who sue after a tragedy are not suing for the money it's to send a message to not let this happen again, and it usually works.

Then maybe she should be suing herself.

(not being snarky to you!!

 

[Hopeful One]

Lordy. The more I hear about this, the more I believe she should be charged. If it's true, and many witness can verify this that she STOOD that toddler on that very uneven surface (meant to make children balanced there fall backward into the parents' arms) and then she backed away and didn't hold the child, this was gross felony neglect, imho. I've certainly lifted toddlers up, and can see a parent seating a child on that narrow beam while holding the child around the waist with both arms, but to STAND a toddler up on that uneven narrow beam high above the ground and then let go - I'd call that manslaughter.

If that's not what actually happened, I take all this back.

BBM

Can you tell me where you read this? Do you have a link? TIA

 

[eileenhawkeye]

The medical examiner's office says a 2-year-old boy who died in the Pittsburgh zoo's African wild dog exhibit bled to death after he was mauled by the animals

Poor baby

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner has yet to rule on the manner of the boy's death — that is, whether it was an accident or not — until police determine whether anyone will be charged.

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/vie...ild-dog-zoo-mauling?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|

 

[Linda7NJ]

http://www.pittsburghzoo.org/animal.aspx?id=18

Food: African painted dogs are hunters. They eat antelope, zebras, wildebeest, springboks, gazelles and impala.

From their web site

They are not feeding zebra or gazelle burgers to the African dogs in a zoo setting


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[JeannaT]

BBM

Can you tell me where you read this? Do you have a link? TIA

Did you read the quote? I'm referencing the animated scene by ABC, and say IF IT'S TRUE (their depiction) and many witnesses verify . . .

I haven't read anyone who said that's what happened, merely saw ABC's reinactment cartoon and wondered if it was true, or if they were as far afield from the truth as they were with the Zimmerman case.