Boy Falls into African Painted Dog Exhibit at Piitsburgh Zoo Dies

[Nova]

At least someone - mother or father - should have made a run for it, at least tried to protect their child. Paternal and/or maternal instinct # 1 is to protect your offspring.

Made a run for what? I haven't seen a diagram or a clear picture of the enclosure. People are simply assuming that patrons (including the child's mother) had some way to get to the dogs (and the child).

Zoos are specifically designed to prevent that.

 

[passionflower]

http://old.post-gazette.com/pg/images/201211/20121105zoo_painted_dog778.png
drawing of observation deck,
I do not know if this was posted before

 

[passionflower]

great close up pic of observation deck.........hope I can transfer it over

 

[passionflower]

link to pic
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&h...ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0,i:157&tx=110&ty=66

 

[LaMer]

Thanks for trying, but that's not an approved site so the link won't work. I can do a search on my own and see if I can find any confirmation.

A local here and below is exactly how it had been reported in my newspaper.

http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/...raus-african-baker-child-killed#axzz2BrwJGzaP

“The mother picked the child up, put him on the railing,” Major Crimes Lt. Kevin Kraus said, describing the moments before the 11:45 a.m. attack. “Almost immediately after that, he lost his balance and fell into the pit.”

Makes us all sick at heart. God Bless him and may he rest in Peace and be in a better place now.

 

[LaMer]

As others have stated in this thread -- from looking at the photos from the little boy's funeral, I believe the mother is punishing herself enough for her child's death. For almost 5 years I have lived with the guilt of having my puppy get strangled to death due to what I perceive was my oywn negligence -- and this is just a puppy. I would have a hard time living with myself if I was that woman, and I am sure the pain and guilt will never go away. Very sad. My prayers go to the little boy. There was no way anyone could have rescued him from the 11 dogs as they kill too quickly.

I haven't seen the pictures, but how could she not be punishing and blaming herself, I would. Her pain will never ever go away.

We had some friends, whose little boy died by strangling himself with a curtain he had been able to reach from his crib. The mother and father divorced, it was more than they had been able to live through together. So sad.......Keep cribs away from anything the child can reach!

 

[passionflower]

I haven't seen the pictures, but how could she not be punishing and blaming herself, I would. Her pain will never ever go away.

We had some friends, whose little boy died by strangling himself with a curtain he had been able to reach from his crib. The mother and father divorced, it was more than they had been able to live through together. So sad.......Keep cribs away from anything the child can reach!

Yes sadly their lives will never be the same; in so many ways.
This may make them stronger or weaker.
IIRC John Walsh blamed his wife for Adam's disappearance.
They divorced but remarried years later.

 

[Nova]

link to pic
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&h...ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0,i:157&tx=110&ty=66

Because of the wire screening, it's hard to tell what part of the barrier is open air.

Am I right in assuming it is the very end of the "balcony", the narrow section above the netting? If so, then I suppose an adult could fit through that opening, but I think we should hesitate to assume what we would do when faced with a 15' drop into a pack of wild dogs.

If I am correct that it is the smaller, end section that is open, there is no way I would dangle a toddler there or let him sit or stand on the fencing.

That being said and despite the good intentions of the zoo, the netting below may have given a false impression that the opening was safer than it actually was. After all, the child had to bounce TWICE before he fell into the reach of the dogs.

 

[LaMer]

Yes sadly their lives will never be the same; in so many ways.
This may make them stronger or weaker.
IIRC John Walsh blamed his wife for Adam's disappearance.
They divorced but remarried years later.

You are right more than likely never the same, I pray they are able to be united in their love and heal somewhat, however I can't see them ever getting over the pain. Personally, imo they will have to have faith in someday they will reunite with Maddox.

800 Mourners Say Goodbye to Maddox Derkosh, child killed at zoo

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/...ly-trucks-child-derkosh-toy-800#ixzz2BsJTsrMY

Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

I read in the article instead of flowers, the family requested trucks. At Christmas time the trucks will be given to the children. The funeral home has an apt in the back and several rooms are filled with 1000's of trucks!

 

[Confusion]

I haven't seen the pictures, but how could she not be punishing and blaming herself, I would. Her pain will never ever go away.

We had some friends, whose little boy died by strangling himself with a curtain he had been able to reach from his crib. The mother and father divorced, it was more than they had been able to live through together. So sad.......Keep cribs away from anything the child can reach!

BBM

In that link you provided for me, it said that they couldn't talk to the parents yet because they were both in the hospital being treated for shock. I think you are so right about her pain, I don't think I need any pictures to see it.

 

[Sonya610]

Made a run for what? I haven't seen a diagram or a clear picture of the enclosure. People are simply assuming that patrons (including the child's mother) had some way to get to the dogs (and the child).

Zoos are specifically designed to prevent that.

Huh? The diagrams I saw made it quite clear there was a few feet of railing.

Do you think there was a 14" opening that the child fell through? Climb over the railing and hit the net.

 

[Confusion]

Huh? The diagrams I saw made it quite clear there was a few feet of railing.

Do you think there was a 14" opening that the child fell through?

Not saying jumping into the pit would have saved the kids life BUT it seems like it would have been quite possible. In fact with that net it would have been easy to jump then get into the enclosure (until actually encountering the dogs, which would likely be suicide given the situation).

There were ways to access the situation, thing is no one wanted to including the child's mother.

I'm sure his mother will gladly jump into the enclosure and allow the dogs to take her life as soon as she is out of shock and out of the hospital.

 

[passionflower]

The couple were released from the hospital a couple days after the accident.
I do not have a link.
It was on our local news that they were taking a walk hand in hand in the neighborhood.
Probably for a breath of fresh air.
It was there neighbor talking and asking for their privacy while they mourned.
I bet the house with all the babies things reminding them was torture.

 

[legalmania]

But that's the problem. I haven't seen anything that proves the mother could have jumped into the pit even if she intended to do so.

Ditto with dangling, perching, standing the baby on the rail, etc.

Every report seems to invent new details and nothing I've seen gives us a clear picture of what happened. I don't believe this exhibit existed when I was last at that zoo, but in the exhibits that were there, it wasn't clear how a spectator could get "backstage" or into the animal area.

Your right there is just to much assuming going on. Is that enclosed gazebo thing the viewing area? I'm picturing a walkway with a fence in front. I know there must be video somewhere but for some reason it's not being released. I know for lawsuit reasons they are being careful as to what is being released. The law has something called assumption of risk, that if you go to someplace like a baseball park and you get hit by a ball you understand by going to a ballpark you could get hit by a ball. Legally this is going to be a very complicated case.

http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Assumption+of+Risk

 

[passionflower]

legalmania
yes gazebo screened in area is the viewing deck, opening on an end with netting to collect dropped cameras........mainly used to take photos.
We stood in the screened area with my niece and nephew.

 

[legalmania]

Yes sadly their lives will never be the same; in so many ways.
This may make them stronger or weaker.
IIRC John Walsh blamed his wife for Adam's disappearance.
They divorced but remarried years later.

That's not true John never blamed Reve. They never divorced. She filed but John said no and he wanted to go to counseling. As far as I know they have been married for some 31 yrs.

 

[legalmania]

legalmania
yes gazebo screened in area is the viewing deck, opening on an end with netting to collect dropped cameras........mainly used to take photos.
We stood in the screened area with my niece and nephew.

So you wouldn't have to hold your child up to see?

 

[passionflower]

So you wouldn't have to hold your child up to see?

oh no, we looked through the screen/railing age 3 and 1.5 years.

sorry when I read the book ( awhile back) I really thought John and Reve did
go separate ways through the stress.

 

[Hopeful One]

I wouldn't be able to watch I would have jumped. Even if it failed I would have died knowing I did everything possible.

You don't know that. Sometimes instinct takes over. When someone is in the moment, sometimes they react differently than they may have predicted they would have.

 

[legalmania]

oh no, we looked through the screen/railing age 3 and 1.5 years.

sorry when I read the book ( awhile back) I really thought John and Reve did
go separate ways through the stress.

So you think maybe the boy got away from his mother climbed up and fell?

I think a lot of people are amazed John and Reve are still together.