2-year old boy mauled to death at Pittsburgh Zoo

[Anonymous]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/boy-dead-mauli ... Jg6A4aO4_g

 

[Shaun__]

That is why you stay on your side of the fence. You have to have a license to drive a car, but anybody can have a tiny human being in their care.

 

[Jupiter551]

what the fuck...that's SO horrible, it's the mother's fault though why the fuck did she put a 2 year old on a railing with a 14 foot drop even if there was nothing underneath, that's completely irresponsible and negligent.
If it HAD happened and it was my child I'd be over that railing and down there doing anything and everything to shield the child with my body.

 

[DeviantDarla]

My dad told me about this this morning. I swore he was lying so I googled it.

This story hurts me in SO many ways. My son is almost 2, so I can only imagine how the mother is feeling. And after reading it all I kept thinking is why would she put him on the railing? Some of the comments from people that were there tear me up, could you imagine the sound of what was happening?.. ughhhh. As bas as I feel for everyone involved, I also think peoples reactions to the dogs is a little off. I understand that this is terrible, but its not the dogs (wild animals) fault. People are saying they should all be put down. And the quote from the zoo about 'The Pittsburgh Zoo has raised these dogs since birth, but it's not the first time they've caused trouble'.. how exactly were they causing trouble in this situation? They were minding their own business in their little area when something falls from the sky... idk, I'm a crazy animal person and I dont see this being their fault at all.

As bad as the mom feels, this is at least partly her fault. And I'm sure the zoo will probably be sued over it too. It might turn into a 'you shouldnt have put him there' 'well you should have signs, taller rails, nets, etc etc in case this happened' or it could get solved quickly.

 

[Jupiter551]

My dad told me about this this morning. I swore he was lying so I googled it.

This story hurts me in SO many ways. My son is almost 2, so I can only imagine how the mother is feeling. And after reading it all I kept thinking is why would she put him on the railing? Some of the comments from people that were there tear me up, could you imagine the sound of what was happening?.. ughhhh. As bas as I feel for everyone involved, I also think peoples reactions to the dogs is a little off. I understand that this is terrible, but its not the dogs (wild animals) fault. People are saying they should all be put down. And the quote from the zoo about 'The Pittsburgh Zoo has raised these dogs since birth, but it's not the first time they've caused trouble'.. how exactly were they causing trouble in this situation? They were minding their own business in their little area when something falls from the sky... idk, I'm a crazy animal person and I dont see this being their fault at all.

As bad as the mom feels, this is at least partly her fault. And I'm sure the zoo will probably be sued over it too. It might turn into a 'you shouldnt have put him there' 'well you should have signs, taller rails, nets, etc etc in case this happened' or it could get solved quickly.

My experience with kids is limited to having been one, and having a young niece and nephew, but even I know that you lift a child up in your arms if they want to look over something not have them stand on a railing holy shit...Even if she was partly supporting him the fact that she couldn't stop his bodyweight from overbalancing and falling makes it really obvious why no sane or responsible person would put a child up there. I feel sorry for her to deal with this but at the same time she should be held accountable.

 

[Anonymous]

And then I came across this story of a guy who decided to jump into a tiger's den at Bronx Zoo because he "wanted to be one with the tiger." WTF???
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09 ... tiger?lite

 

[Jupiter551]

And then I came across this story of a guy who decided to jump into a tiger's den at Bronx Zoo because he "wanted to be one with the tiger." WTF???
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09 ... tiger?lite

LOL yes I just saw that too, the fall did more damage than the tiger - broke a rib, his pelvis and collapsed a lung lol. It made me wonder if it's some variation on the cannabalism fetish - he wanted the tiger to eat him so he could become "part of it".

 

[DeviantDarla]

My experience with kids is limited to having been one, and having a young niece and nephew, but even I know that you lift a child up in your arms if they want to look over something not have them stand on a railing holy shit...Even if she was partly supporting him the fact that she couldn't stop his bodyweight from overbalancing and falling makes it really obvious why no sane or responsible person would put a child up there. I feel sorry for her to deal with this but at the same time she should be held accountable.

This is true, but you know now days no one can accept blame for anything, especially something as terrible as this. Its easier to blame the zoo for the lack of prevention measures than to say 'fuck i really fucked up. my life will never be the same because of my mistake'

 

[Nordling]

I just wonder what goes through people's heads. Putting a two-year old on a narrow railing with a high drop? Even if there was no dangerous animals below seems insane.

 

[JickyJuly]

Tragic for the kid, obviously, but that Mom should be in all sorts of trouble. You don't have to be remotely smart to know that standing a toddler on a railing is unsafe. How much work do we have to put into protecting people from their own lack of brain power? Not only should she be charged with the death of her child, she should have to compensate the zoo for $ lost while shut down and the death of the wild dog that had to be shot for being a wild dog.

 

[Shaun__]

As bas as I feel for everyone involved, I also think peoples reactions to the dogs is a little off. I understand that this is terrible, but its not the dogs (wild animals) fault. People are saying they should all be put down. And the quote from the zoo about 'The Pittsburgh Zoo has raised these dogs since birth, but it's not the first time they've caused trouble'.. how exactly were they causing trouble in this situation? They were minding their own business in their little area when something falls from the sky... idk, I'm a crazy animal person and I dont see this being their fault at all.

As bad as the mom feels, this is at least partly her fault. And I'm sure the zoo will probably be sued over it too. It might turn into a 'you shouldnt have put him there' 'well you should have signs, taller rails, nets, etc etc in case this happened' or it could get solved quickly.

I think the bulk of blame is going to fall on the zoo. They should have had two barriers to prevent people or things from falling into the enclosure. It is just unsafe for the animals to be so close to people, and one of the dogs was shot as a result of their mismanagement. The mom was very stupid, but I bet people would drop stuff into the exhibit all the time putting the animals at risk.

 

[Rose]

This makes me want to wrap my belly in bubble wrap and build a padded room for after the spawn arrives. I sure hope stupid isn't contagious.

As sad as this story is, I have zero sympathy for the mother. I think she should be made an example of. Her stupidity caused a child to die, if it wasn't her child she'd be in jail right now...

 

[DeviantDarla]

As bas as I feel for everyone involved, I also think peoples reactions to the dogs is a little off. I understand that this is terrible, but its not the dogs (wild animals) fault. People are saying they should all be put down. And the quote from the zoo about 'The Pittsburgh Zoo has raised these dogs since birth, but it's not the first time they've caused trouble'.. how exactly were they causing trouble in this situation? They were minding their own business in their little area when something falls from the sky... idk, I'm a crazy animal person and I dont see this being their fault at all.

As bad as the mom feels, this is at least partly her fault. And I'm sure the zoo will probably be sued over it too. It might turn into a 'you shouldnt have put him there' 'well you should have signs, taller rails, nets, etc etc in case this happened' or it could get solved quickly.

I think the bulk of blame is going to fall on the zoo. They should have had two barriers to prevent people or things from falling into the enclosure. It is just unsafe for the animals to be so close to people, and one of the dogs was shot as a result of their mismanagement. The mom was very stupid, but I bet people would drop stuff into the exhibit all the time putting the animals at risk.

'"There is a railing with a graphic sign. And the child flipped over the top of that railing, and there is also a catch basin to catch things that fall into the exhibit. But apparently the child flipped over that as well,"

They have the catch basin, which is standard at all zoos now I think, and as far as I know this is the first incident like this in a long time/ever(?). But really there is a SIGN that probably says something along the lines of do not stand/sit/place objects on railing you could fall in.

 

[DeviantDarla]

Im sure thats not the exact sign, but still its common sense.

 

[Nordling]

As bas as I feel for everyone involved, I also think peoples reactions to the dogs is a little off. I understand that this is terrible, but its not the dogs (wild animals) fault. People are saying they should all be put down. And the quote from the zoo about 'The Pittsburgh Zoo has raised these dogs since birth, but it's not the first time they've caused trouble'.. how exactly were they causing trouble in this situation? They were minding their own business in their little area when something falls from the sky... idk, I'm a crazy animal person and I dont see this being their fault at all.

As bad as the mom feels, this is at least partly her fault. And I'm sure the zoo will probably be sued over it too. It might turn into a 'you shouldnt have put him there' 'well you should have signs, taller rails, nets, etc etc in case this happened' or it could get solved quickly.

I think the bulk of blame is going to fall on the zoo. They should have had two barriers to prevent people or things from falling into the enclosure. It is just unsafe for the animals to be so close to people, and one of the dogs was shot as a result of their mismanagement. The mom was very stupid, but I bet people would drop stuff into the exhibit all the time putting the animals at risk.

'"There is a railing with a graphic sign. And the child flipped over the top of that railing, and there is also a catch basin to catch things that fall into the exhibit. But apparently the child flipped over that as well,"

They have the catch basin, which is standard at all zoos now I think, and as far as I know this is the first incident like this in a long time/ever(?). But really there is a SIGN that probably says something along the lines of do not stand/sit/place objects on railing you could fall in.

Yes. There's simply a limit to how anyone can prevent human stupidity.

Modern zoos are so much better than the zoos I went to as a child. Back then, animals were almost all kept in small cages. The concept of being able to see the animals in a more natural setting is one I'd hate to see go away...in spite of the risks of foolish people.

 

[JickyJuly]

As bas as I feel for everyone involved, I also think peoples reactions to the dogs is a little off. I understand that this is terrible, but its not the dogs (wild animals) fault. People are saying they should all be put down. And the quote from the zoo about 'The Pittsburgh Zoo has raised these dogs since birth, but it's not the first time they've caused trouble'.. how exactly were they causing trouble in this situation? They were minding their own business in their little area when something falls from the sky... idk, I'm a crazy animal person and I dont see this being their fault at all.

As bad as the mom feels, this is at least partly her fault. And I'm sure the zoo will probably be sued over it too. It might turn into a 'you shouldnt have put him there' 'well you should have signs, taller rails, nets, etc etc in case this happened' or it could get solved quickly.

I think the bulk of blame is going to fall on the zoo. They should have had two barriers to prevent people or things from falling into the enclosure. It is just unsafe for the animals to be so close to people, and one of the dogs was shot as a result of their mismanagement. The mom was very stupid, but I bet people would drop stuff into the exhibit all the time putting the animals at risk.

I'm not sure how this could really be blamed on the zoo. They only need to protect visitors from clear threats. Most parents don't look at a railing and think "there's a good place to set the kid!". One of my initial thoughts was that perhaps the mother did this on purpose? I'm not sure which is more sad the idea that she could accidentally put her kid in such an obviously bad situation or the idea that she was just getting rid of the kid creatively.

 

[Rose]

The Nashville Zoo at Grassmere (local to me) had catch baskets, nets, fences and all sorts of signs next to and before each enclosure. It's not your top of the line zoo, but I figured that was standard for all zoos.

In the elephant enclosure specifically, they had a railing with signs, then a catch basket (with ladders up to those from the trainer area between the railing wall and the barbed wire fences) nets under the baskets and then several feet away from all that there were fences with barbed wire tops and then another fence farther back that the elephants could walk up to. Basically there was absolutely no way you could get past the second nets unless you jumped like an NBA player and even then, you'd fall in front of the barbed wire fences... Ultimately there were so many measures in place to protect the elephants from idiots that I felt bad for the elephants. They could have had an extra 5 acres or more if it weren't for all the extra fences.

 

[Shaun__]

I'm not sure how this could really be blamed on the zoo. They only need to protect visitors from clear threats. Most parents don't look at a railing and think "there's a good place to set the kid!". One of my initial thoughts was that perhaps the mother did this on purpose? I'm not sure which is more sad the idea that she could accidentally put her kid in such an obviously bad situation or the idea that she was just getting rid of the kid creatively.

You need a fence, a dry moat, and then another fence. They also need to be spread far enough apart that you can not fall over all of them. It is to protect the animals from stupid people. If you can fall off of the railing and end up in the animal enclosure then it is unsafe for the animals. Dropping the baby is the mothers fault, but the unsafe design is going to fall on the zoo.

 

[PersonalAngel]

This is a crazy story and sadly a child had to die.
I don't understand why people put their children up on things so high.

 

[Jupiter551]

I think the bulk of blame is going to fall on the zoo. They should have had two barriers to prevent people or things from falling into the enclosure. It is just unsafe for the animals to be so close to people, and one of the dogs was shot as a result of their mismanagement. The mom was very stupid, but I bet people would drop stuff into the exhibit all the time putting the animals at risk.

Wait, so they should have a railing to keep people from the railing? The whole point of the railing is to stop people falling in, which obviously doesn't work if you stand a toddler up on it.

That's like saying cars should have an extra safety harness cos someone died while not wearing their seatbelt.

 

[16_bit]

Im sure thats not the exact sign, but still its common sense.

Common sense still exists?

If things like this and people climbing into exhibits keeps happening then the zoo tycoon games are closest thing we'll have to zoos soon.
The zoo will sadly get balmed for not doing enough to 'protect the visitors' but how much do they need to do really? Do we really have to get the point of 10ft high fences and other extremes to stop people?
Every zoo i've been to in the UK are pretty clear about fences (not to touch, lean over, climb over, etc) and i can't say i've ever seen parents hold their child on top of a fence before. Sure they lift them up or put them on their shoulders to see but generally the fences are clear enough to see into an exhibit without the need, and from the video on the page, i don't see the need to have put him on the fence.
The worse news is that through no fault of his own, the child died. It was unlucky that the catch net didn't actually catch him and he fell below that but really, it shouldn't be down to that net to catch people.

You need a fence, a dry moat, and then another fence. They also need to be spread far enough apart that you can not fall over all of them. It is to protect the animals from stupid people.

While i'd like to agree with you, you know someone is going to be stupid enough to fall in the dry moat and then sue the zoo for that. Really zoos don't need to do anything for the animals, they need to fence people in to protect them from their own stupidty. They don't seem to see a fence or a cautious situation, they see a challenge. That's the reason we have so much "health and safety" here, common sense has gone and people need to be told everything they can't do.

 

[Rose]

This is why the packs of hot dogs I buy have warning labels on them telling me to cut them into bite size pieces before serving....

 

[Jupiter551]

This is why the packs of hot dogs I buy have warning labels on them telling me to cut them into bite size pieces before serving....

why, because they're aggressive in packs? sorry heh

 

[Red7227]

I'm not sure how this could really be blamed on the zoo. They only need to protect visitors from clear threats. Most parents don't look at a railing and think "there's a good place to set the kid!". One of my initial thoughts was that perhaps the mother did this on purpose? I'm not sure which is more sad the idea that she could accidentally put her kid in such an obviously bad situation or the idea that she was just getting rid of the kid creatively.

You need a fence, a dry moat, and then another fence. They also need to be spread far enough apart that you can not fall over all of them. It is to protect the animals from stupid people. If you can fall off of the railing and end up in the animal enclosure then it is unsafe for the animals. Dropping the baby is the mothers fault, but the unsafe design is going to fall on the zoo.

No they don't, they just need a fence and some signs. You cannot protect morons or their children from themselves. We had a gorilla locked up in a cage for years at Melbourne zoo that could never be out with the other gorillas again. You know why, some moron threw a rock at it because he was bored, and the gorilla threw it back twice as hard and took his eye out.

We let people drive down streets without safety rails beside every street, so we assume people aren't morons in day to day life, but then go nuts when a wild dog does what comes naturally. The mother belongs in jail for for neglect or criminal stupidity, or whatever charges can be made to stick. the dogs and the zoo have nothing to answer for.

 

[KayleePond]

This is why the packs of hot dogs I buy have warning labels on them telling me to cut them into bite size pieces before serving....

why, because they're aggressive in packs? sorry heh

I love you.

 

[Shaun__]

I'm not sure how this could really be blamed on the zoo. They only need to protect visitors from clear threats. Most parents don't look at a railing and think "there's a good place to set the kid!". One of my initial thoughts was that perhaps the mother did this on purpose? I'm not sure which is more sad the idea that she could accidentally put her kid in such an obviously bad situation or the idea that she was just getting rid of the kid creatively.

You need a fence, a dry moat, and then another fence. They also need to be spread far enough apart that you can not fall over all of them. It is to protect the animals from stupid people. If you can fall off of the railing and end up in the animal enclosure then it is unsafe for the animals. Dropping the baby is the mothers fault, but the unsafe design is going to fall on the zoo.

No they don't, they just need a fence and some signs. You cannot protect morons or their children from themselves. We had a gorilla locked up in a cage for years at Melbourne zoo that could never be out with the other gorillas again. You know why, some moron threw a rock at it because he was bored, and the gorilla threw it back twice as hard and took his eye out.

We let people drive down streets without safety rails beside every street, so we assume people aren't morons in day to day life, but then go nuts when a wild dog does what comes naturally. The mother belongs in jail for for neglect or criminal stupidity, or whatever charges can be made to stick. the dogs and the zoo have nothing to answer for.

You all seem to be missing my main point. The fences are for the animals not the people. They need to be protected, not us.

 

[Jupiter551]

You all seem to be missing my main point. The fences are for the animals not the people. They need to be protected, not us.

We're not missing the point, there is a railing to stop people falling over and a mesh barrier to stop things being dropped inside - apart from gross neglect or deliberate misconduct the animals and people are safe.

You could put a 360 degree chainlink dome with a fine mesh inside and some idiot would still cut a hole and perch his toddler on the edge to get a better view. You might say well that's extreme why would anyone do that? Well why would anyone place a toddler on a railing over a 14 foot drop above a pack of 11 wild dogs?!

Even if the enclosure was empty a 14 foot drop would be serious injury or death to a small child, and frankly a mother willing to do something like that was an accident waiting to happen.

 

[Neudiin]

Its called Darwinism. And it is working just fine.

 

[IsabellaSnow]

This is actually insane, am glad everyone else has the opinion that it's the mother's fault too. Maybe if it's that obvious to everyone the zoo won't be punished and she will. Can't believe you'd do that to your child. Jesus, standing? Toddlers that age can barely stand on a large safe flat surface, let alone a bloody fence!! It also seems like she wasn't even holding him. I considered too whether it'd have been deliberate, but I think she probably was just that stupid/careless.

Feel so sorry for the zoo and the poor dog that had to be killed.

 

[SoTxBob]

As harsh as it may sound, we can't protect the world from its own unlimited stupidity. As has been said, no matter the safety features, some fool will figure out a way around or thru it simply bc they can. The sad thing is not that some folks probably need to be eaten to cull stupid from the species, but that that meal would most likely make the animal sick and in turn result in the animals destruction.