Boy Falls into African Painted Dog Exhibit at Piitsburgh Zoo Dies

[Sonya610]

I had a friend who use to work with fishing and game and he would go with animal control to help capture snakes and it's a real problem down there. I went on a couple of rescues with him and the ones we caught were anywhere from 13 ft to about 25 ft long. It took aprox. 10 people to get those in the truck. My little piece of the snake was hard to control. If you call that small to medium I would hate to see large. They are dangerous and can kill.

You are talking about Burmese Pythons which are reportedly a problem in the Florida Everglades. I am surprised you were out catching several of these giant snakes yet you did not know their name.

Most of the snakes listed on the first site were small to medium size constrictors (i.e. Ball Pythons never get big) and most were found in areas where they cannot survive (climates with a hard winter freeze). When it comes to size vs human safety the general rule of thumb is that one person should not handle a heavy bodied snake over 7 feet alone, handle means wrap the animal around you. The only deaths I have ever heard about were either a) Stupid male handlers (usually drunk) that get strangled by their giant snakes while holding them or b) starving giant snakes roaming loose in a house strangling small children. They don't chase down and eat people outdoors (small pets yes, people no).

Giant snakes absolutely should not be sold to the public, they live 30 years and require a huge commitment which most "throw away pet" owning Americans won't live upto and in some areas like FL they are a threat to the environment but they are NOT a threat to humans.

 

[Nova]

Sonya, isn't it more accurate to say Burmese pythons are "rarely" a threat to humans? In all cases I can recall, the python-related deaths I've heard about come from confined pets; it doesn't seem common for passers-by to be attacked on sidewalks.

But neither is it true to say such snakes pose NO threat to humans. Particularly as their numbers increase in South Florida and their hunting territories shrink.

 

[legalmania]

You are talking about Burmese Pythons which are reportedly a problem in the Florida Everglades. I am surprised you were out catching several of these giant snakes yet you did not know their name.

Most of the snakes listed on the first site were small to medium size constrictors (i.e. Ball Pythons never get big) and most were found in areas where they cannot survive (climates with a hard winter freeze). When it comes to size vs human safety the general rule of thumb is that one person should not handle a heavy bodied snake over 7 feet alone, handle means wrap the animal around you. The only deaths I have ever heard about were either a) Stupid male handlers (usually drunk) that get strangled by their giant snakes while holding them or b) starving giant snakes roaming loose in a house strangling small children. They don't chase down and eat people outdoors (small pets yes, people no).

Giant snakes absolutely should not be sold to the public, they live 30 years and require a huge commitment which most "throw away pet" owning Americans won't live upto and in some areas like FL they are a threat to the environment but they are NOT a threat to humans.

This was a few years ago, I really wasn't out catching them I was asked to help. My friend Ranger Bob use to round up people to help and I went on a couple of rescues. The only name I am really interested in when it comes to snakes is venomous. The link below are stories of adults and children getting killed or hurt by both boas and pythons,(constrictors) they are not all (drunk males) just people having a dangerous reptile around that can kill or cause mayhem . The rescues I went on were not in the Florida everglades they were in peoples back yards in sheds or barbeque pits places like that.

http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/wildlife/captive/constrictor-snake-attacks.pdf

 

[passionflower]

http://articles.mcall.com/2012-11-1...maddox-derkosh-zoos-and-aquariums-audubon-zoo

scroll down page, eye witness tells a story

Police said they have not yet interviewed the family and zoo officials
BBM why????

 

[Cracka*Jaxx]

http://articles.mcall.com/2012-11-1...maddox-derkosh-zoos-and-aquariums-audubon-zoo

scroll down page, eye witness tells a story

Police said they have not yet interviewed the family and zoo officials
BBM why????

Good question!

Of course the Pittsburgh Zoo, as well as other zoos nation wide, will address the safety features of all viewing areas. But a re-design will wind up costing lot of money, which I'm sure the zoo doesn't have. They may have to shut down the exhibit or charge more for admission to recup improvement costs.

"You can design an animal exhibit in many different ways, but you can't design it to keep people from acting in a way that's not common sense," Dietz (Rick Dietz, vice president and general curator at the Audubon Zoo) said. "There's a point where you can't put up glass walls along every bridge that crosses a body of water to keep people from jumping over."

"Part of it comes back to design," but there's "also the human-fallibility part," Snider (Richard J. Snider, a zoology professor at Michigan State University) said. "Humans, in their eagerness, will sometimes forget common safety. It's a human flaw."

Joshua Bloom, 41, of Fox Chapel, who witnessed the attack with his two young children, isn't convinced of the exhibit's safety. He called its design "grossly negligent."

"There shouldn't be any direct access," said Bloom, a lawyer. Netting under the deck gave people a false sense of security, and many parents hold their children up to see what the kids think are "cute doggies," he said.

Leave it to a lawyer to start blaming the zoo. I knew that was coming! If he thought the design of the viewing area was unsafe, why was he there with his own children? I guess he doesn't have any common sense either. Or is he just trying to build a case?

Though I feel awful for the boy's family, his mother should be taking full responsibility for his death. She made a poor decision by setting him on the railing. I can only imagine the pain and terror that poor little boy went through ...

 

[passionflower]

Good question!

Of course the Pittsburgh Zoo, as well as other zoos nation wide, will address the safety features of all viewing areas. But a re-design will wind up costing lot of money, which I'm sure the zoo doesn't have. They may have to shut down the exhibit or charge more for admission to recup improvement costs.







Leave it to a lawyer to start blaming the zoo. I knew that was coming! If he thought the design of the viewing area was unsafe, why was he there with his own children? I guess he doesn't have any common sense either. Or is he just trying to build a case?

Though I feel awful for the boy's family, his mother should be taking full responsibility for his death. She made a poor decision by setting him on the railing. I can only imagine the pain and terror that poor little boy went through ...

BBM
exactly!
I was there IMO, very safe. Dogs can't get to YOU if you stay in the deck.
You are safe! Unless you go into the dog pit.
YOU must be caustious through out ALL ZOO exhibits.
These animals aren't puppies and kittens!
What ever happened to 'OBEY THE RULES"
People are so Stupid!

 

[lonetraveler]

You simply can not "idiot proof" everything. People have to act responsibile at some point in their lives. Toddler's death is a tragedy and did not have to happen.

 

[Nova]

http://articles.mcall.com/2012-11-1...maddox-derkosh-zoos-and-aquariums-audubon-zoo

scroll down page, eye witness tells a story

Police said they have not yet interviewed the family and zoo officials
BBM why????

Maybe the average detective isn't sure what to ask after such a tragedy. LE almost certainly has statements from other witnesses; perhaps the authorities are trying to decide how (or even whether) to proceed.

We posters can't agree whether a crime has been committed. If the Pitt police can't agree either, it may influence how they would question the parties involved.

All of the above, obviously, is speculation on my part. I have no experience with how LE responds to a death at a zoo.

 

[Sonya610]

Leave it to a lawyer to start blaming the zoo. I knew that was coming! If he thought the design of the viewing area was unsafe, why was he there with his own children? I guess he doesn't have any common sense either. Or is he just trying to build a case?

Well he obviously had enough common sense not to perch his kids on the railing and let them fall in!

The fall could have easily killed the tot. Guess we should idiot proof the whole country which means 7 foot high barriers anywhere someone could fall to their death; parking decks, shopping malls, escalators, sports stadiums, hotel balconies, etc....

No clue what to do about national parks or highways, but if it could save one life, especially the life of a child I am sure some would say "Do it! A child's life is more important than the national budget or economic ruin!".

 

[passionflower]

Thinking about the horror all the children went through that day, what they heard and saw.
Let's hope they were all to young to know and remember.

 

[passionflower]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/usda-announces-probe-boys-pittsburgh-zoo-death-17737710

more probing at zoo by agency

 

[passionflower]

http://triblive.com/home/2972824-74...sburgh-exhibit-insurers-painted#axzz2Chk1nRx6

Zoo's liability insurance

 

[Nova]

I think it's a fair question why the exhibit required a completely open viewing space.

A very open grid (think 6"x6" squares) would have allowed ample viewing while preventing a child from going through. (Yes, I place the primary blame on the parent, but parents will do thoughtless things.)

 

[passionflower]

http://old.post-gazette.com/pg/12327/1278887-455.stm

 

[Nova]

http://old.post-gazette.com/pg/12327/1278887-455.stm

I have to applaud the family! That must be agonizing: all those trucks that little Maddox will never get to play with!

 

[passionflower]

http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/spaghetti-dinner-held-honor-boy-killed-pittsburgh-/nTFNz/

Spaghetti dinner for Maddox

 

[angelmom]

Guess we should idiot proof the whole country which means 7 foot high barriers anywhere someone could fall to their death; parking decks, shopping malls, escalators, sports stadiums, hotel balconies, etc....

No clue what to do about national parks or highways, but if it could save one life, especially the life of a child I am sure some would say "Do it! A child's life is more important than the national budget or economic ruin!".

It amazed me when we toured out west. No railings or barriers at Grand Canyon, Bryce, etc. You could easily fall to your death, but people were expected to stay on the trails and use some common sense. What a concept!

 

[passionflower]

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012...grandfather-says-family-is-coping-day-by-day/
Grandpa talks

 

[clarabelle]

I think it's a fair question why the exhibit required a completely open viewing space.

A very open grid (think 6"x6" squares) would have allowed ample viewing while preventing a child from going through. (Yes, I place the primary blame on the parent, but parents will do thoughtless things.)

It's hard to anticipate stupidity. I go to the zoo to see the animals. I read and follow the cautionary signs and expect others to do the same -- especially a parent with children. IMO

 

[Nova]

It's hard to anticipate stupidity. I go to the zoo to see the animals. I read and follow the cautionary signs and expect others to do the same -- especially a parent with children. IMO

So do I (and I have taken children to the zoo in question dozens of times over the years without incident). (ETA and FWIW, my niece and nephew both attended "Pittsburgh zoo camp" during various summers; camp included a sleepover on the zoo grounds. We never worried about them and, AFAIK, they were never in danger.)

But I don't think of children as merely the property of their caretakers. I think we all need to lend a hand in keeping the little ones safe. Here, I was just suggesting a simple solution that wouldn't really spoil anyone's view.

If the zoo put up a net to catch falling cameras, why didn't it occur to some official that a parent might be stupid enough to drop a child?

As I said, I think the parent bears the greatest responsibility. And I love the Pittsburgh Zoo and have never felt unsafe there; but I wouldn't set a toddler on the railing over a wild dog exhibit.