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Child mauled to death at Pittsburgh Zoo

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T

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
TheSeks said:
Oh, damn. Kid would've hit solid concrete in that case then. Kid was already dead before the dogs got him.
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Not necessarily concrete. Zoos have been trying to avoid using concrete inside enclosures for a while.

As for the idea of endangered species in zoos being a bad thing...

Condor numbers dramatically declined in the 20th century due to poaching, lead poisoning, and habitat destruction.[3] A conservation plan was put in place by the United States government that led to the capture of all 22 remaining wild condors in 1987. These surviving birds were bred at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and the Los Angeles Zoo. Numbers rose through captive breeding and, beginning in 1991, condors have been reintroduced into the wild. The California Condor is one of the world's rarest bird species: as of May 2012, population counts put the number of known condors at 405, including 226 living in the wild and 179 in captivity.
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F

Featheredkitten

Banned
marrec said:
The observation deck is the lowest point that you could jump in from a publicly accessible place but it's impossible for an adult (or a fat kid) to get in from there. Everywhere else is much higher and you'd likely just break a leg and then get mauled.

If it was my son in there? I'd probably break a leg and get mauled. Anyone elses son? I'd hope to hell that the zookeepers would get there in time.
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our son is always holding my hand or within reaching distance when we go see that exhibit. it's nearly always packed at the african painted dog exhibit. I honestly don't understand how this happened but i can guarantee it's at the very least partially the parent's fault.
 
T

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
TrAcEr_x90 said:
how dangerous are these to a full grown adult?
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The gap at the top of the fence is only about 8 inches tall, so it doesn't matter.
 
indigo-cyclops

indigo-cyclops

Member
Pittsburgh police Major Crimes Lt. Kevin Kraus said the boy's 34-year-old mother placed the child in a standing position on a wooden railing overlooking the enclosure.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/child-killed-in-pittsburgh-zoo-exhibit-660606/#ixzz2BInV6LRN
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Did this get posted? This is very tragic and sad, but ultimately a fucking DUMB thing to do with such a young child.

Shame a dog had to be killed too; I don't want painted dogs to end up like tasmanian tigers.
 
C

CornBurrito

Member
eso76 said:
I find it ridiculous that we have endangered species in zoos, or zoos, in fact, but anyway.
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What's the alternative? Let them go endangered?

Again, 75% of zoos in the US are non-profit and contribute greatly to conservation efforts. Oh how awful!!!!
 
O

outunderthestars

Banned
INDIGO_CYCLOPS said:
Did this get posted? This is very tragic and sad, but ultimately a fucking DUMB thing to do with such a young child.

Shame a dog had to be killed too; I don't want painted dogs to end up like tasmanian tigers.
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That is actually one of the most common ways that small children get injured/killed in parks, zoos, and wild spaces. Small children can't see very well so their parents lift them up for a better angle, and often drop them over the edge.

I still think that the mesh gave way...
 
D

Devolution

Member
INDIGO_CYCLOPS said:
Did this get posted? This is very tragic and sad, but ultimately a fucking DUMB thing to do with such a young child.

Shame a dog had to be killed too; I don't want painted dogs to end up like tasmanian tigers.
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Doesn't surprise me. From the pics it looked like she had something to do with it.
 
C

ConfusingJazz

Member
CornBurrito said:
Americans are fine with chicken, beef, and pork. Most won't touch horse. I doubt anyone would eat something called Painted Dog. Rhinos and elephants might not be tasty either.
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I dunno, I have never eaten a Rhino or elephant. However, it should be the way to save the Galapagos Giant Tortoise. According to 18th and 19th century sources, they were supposedly the most delicious animal ever eaten.
 
D

Demoncarnotaur

Member
Wow, this is tragic. Having been to this in person many times makes the reality of it really sink in.. I feel awful for the kid. =(

I really want to know exactly how this happened though.. Im also at a loss at the parent only sitting around and calling for help; good idea or not I would have been in that exhibit if it were my kid.. Then again, its real easy to point fingers when you weren't there yourself.. I wonder if the dogs though they were being fed? I would imagine they never encountered a child before, and Im going to assume he was pretty lifeless upon falling. Awful stuff.

I tried to see if I had a picture from the gazebo looking straight down (where the dogs tend to huddle in a pile and sleep) but I do not.. I did find this picture from the news though:

k1kg8.jpg


I believe it is hard, dry soil where he would have landed. Anyways, here are some other pictures of the dogs

NfZ2q.jpg

edJwU.jpg

xvHxU.jpg

MRSUM.jpg
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They are really beautiful animals, I hope this doesn't cause any negative repercussions for them.
Patrick Bateman said:
From the wiki-page. :/
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Yeah, thats pretty awful for the kid.. hopefully they fall knocked him or killed him, as awful as that sounds.

INDIGO_CYCLOPS said:
Did this get posted? This is very tragic and sad, but ultimately a fucking DUMB thing to do with such a young child.

Shame a dog had to be killed too; I don't want painted dogs to end up like tasmanian tigers.
Click to expand...

Thats what I figured had to happen knowing the exhibit.. So sad.
 
C

cloudwalking

300chf ain't shit to me
INDIGO_CYCLOPS said:
Did this get posted? This is very tragic and sad, but ultimately a fucking DUMB thing to do with such a young child.

Shame a dog had to be killed too; I don't want painted dogs to end up like tasmanian tigers.
Click to expand...

Wow, it must feel horrible as a parent to have basically caused your child's death out of negligence. That's just... damn. Sure it was stupid but I can't imagine how the mother must feel.
 
T

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
outunderthestars said:
That is actually one of the most common ways that small children get injured/killed in parks, zoos, and wild spaces. Small children can't see very well so their parents lift them up for a better angle, and often drop them over the edge.

I still think that the mesh gave way...
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The mesh they're talking about is on the other side of the fence. No way that chain link fence gave in from a 3yo.
 
P

purg3

slept with Malkin
INDIGO_CYCLOPS said:
Did this get posted? This is very tragic and sad, but ultimately a fucking DUMB thing to do with such a young child.

Shame a dog had to be killed too; I don't want painted dogs to end up like tasmanian tigers.
Click to expand...


Fuck, why do people have to be so stupid. So sad.

Added the update to the OP
 
C

CornBurrito

Member
ConfusingJazz said:
I dunno, I have never eaten a Rhino or elephant. However, it should be the way to save the Galapagos Giant Tortoise. According to 18th and 19th century sources, they were supposedly the most delicious animal ever eaten.
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I think it can work for some endangered species, but not all endangered species would make good food or be readily accepted as food.
 
Z

Zod the Bear

Member
Horrible situation.

Hope someone's keeping a close eye on the mother. Death of your kid to parental negligence seems like the definition of suicide watch.
 
D

Dastardly Jerks

Banned
Friends were over in Toronto Zoo last week, told harrowing tales of how this exact same parenting failure was happening right in front of their eyes. It really is more common than we think.

YOU DO NOT HOLD YOUR CHILDREN OFF A FUCKING RAIL THAT HAS WARNINGS PLASTERED ALL OVER IT.
 
N

NateDrake

Member
Terrible story. That poor mother.

On an unrelated note:

"The screams just kept coming and coming: 'Someone help. Someone has to do something,'" recounted Angela Cinti, 20, of Bethel Park, who was visiting the zoo today with her boyfriend Nick Kramer, 16, of Bethel Park.
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For some reason that stood out to me.
 
Trojita

Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
INDIGO_CYCLOPS said:
Did this get posted? This is very tragic and sad, but ultimately a fucking DUMB thing to do with such a young child.

Shame a dog had to be killed too; I don't want painted dogs to end up like tasmanian tigers.
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You actually omitted something important:

"Almost immediately after that he lost his balance, fell down off the railing into the actual pit and he was immediately attacked by 11 dogs," Lt. Kraus said.
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The fuck? So not only did she put him on the railing, but for him to lose balance she would have had let go of him.
 
T

tmarques

Member
Trojita said:
The fuck? So not only did she put him on the railing, but for him to lose balance she would have had let go of him.
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Not necessarily. Kids are fidgety, especially if they are excited about this pit full of "dogs" right beneath them. I can definitely see the mother not being able to hold on to him.

Not to sound unkind, but what a f*cking dumb thing to do. I hope she doesn't try to sue the zoo.
 
D

Demoncarnotaur

Member
Branduil said:
I'm still confused as to how the kid fell. From the picture it looks like the only gap is way up at the ceiling.
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I forget exactly how it is, but I believe that the large windowed viewing area is only blocked off by mesh netting.. My guess is he either slipped through the points it was attached from, or it broke.
 
K

kswiston

Member
ConfusingJazz said:
I dunno, I have never eaten a Rhino or elephant. However, it should be the way to save the Galapagos Giant Tortoise. According to 18th and 19th century sources, they were supposedly the most delicious animal ever eaten.
Click to expand...

Galapagos Tortoises take 25 years to reach maturity. Many of these animals are endangered in the first place because they are slow or infrequent breeders. There is a reason certain animals are domesticated and others are not. Cattle, Horses, etc are sexually mature in 1-3 years, are easy to breed, and easy to care for. What works for cows and chickens will not work for most species. Not to mention that a ton of species are going extinct due to people eating them.

Regarding animal sanctuaries. In many of the places that require the most urgent conservation areas, the local populace are dirt poor. When animal sanctuaries are established, you still have locals trespassing and poaching the animals that are supposed to be safe. That doesn't happen in Zoos.

People who are anti-zoo are just ignorant to the reality of the situation. You can be anti-bad zoo, and we should always push for better an more natural animal enclosures, but zoos are one of the few places where urban populations can connect with animals that aren't just pets. They build a love of animals in children, they educate people on conservation issues, and they protect species at risk by keeping a "backup" population of individuals.
 
S

SpectreFire

Member
The mom can go fuck herself. This is entirely her fault, and everyone else had to suffer because of her dumb as shit parenting.

Her kid had to die, that dog had to die, dozens of people had to see a 3 year old kid being ripped apart by wild pack animals. The zoo will likely be punished for something that is absolutely not their fault.

What a cunt.
 
Boss Doggie

Boss Doggie

all my loli wolf companions are so moe
The more I read this the more it seemed like the parent raised the kid over the railing.
 
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