Boy killed after falling into African wild dog exhibit

[Regulator75]

I couldn't image being the parents and watching their child being mauled / eaten by a pack of African painted dogs.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/11...h-zoo-mauling/

A young boy visiting the Pittsburgh zoo with his mother and friends was killed Sunday when he fell about 14 feet off a deck into an exhibit that’s home to a pack of African painted dogs, who pounced on the boy and mauled him, zoo officials said.

“It’s clear that the dogs did attack the child, but whether he died of the attack or the fall has yet to be determined,” Baker said.
The dogs are about as big as medium-sized domestic dogs, 2 to 2 1/2 feet high and 37 to 80 pounds, according to the zoo. African wild dogs are also known as cape hunting dogs, spotted dogs, and painted wolves. They have large, rounded ears and dark brown circles around their eyes and are considered endangered.

[saskflames69]

Oh boy! Another dog thread!

[Dion]

Why put a child up on a railing when there was nothing there to catch them should they fall? What was the mother thinking?

Zoo officials said there is also a mesh barrier beyond the railing, but Kraus said it was designed to catch small objects such as cameras, and not humans.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/1...n_2073268.html

Major Crimes Lt. Kevin Kraus said the child’s mother had lifted him onto a railing on an observation deck for the exhibit housing 11 painted dogs.

“The mother picked the child up, put him on the railing,” Kraus said. “Almost immediately after that, he fell into the pit.”He apparently slipped over a 5-foot-tall railing at the observation deck outside the Safari Plaza area, one of the exhibit’s two observation decks, and into netting. The boy then fell from the netting into the exhibit containing 11 painted dogs

http://www.wpxi.com/news/news/local/...rgh-zoo/nSxFp/

[TurnedTheCorner]

Originally Posted by Dion

What was the mother thinking?

She wasn't. Harsh.

[afc wimbledon]

A sort of 'darwin by proxy' award.

[Zevo]

Sad that one of the dogs had to be shot just for doing what it's programmed to do because of some stupid slunt. Unfortunetly her son and the dog paid the ultimate price for her incredible lack of judgement.

[SportsJunky]

Originally Posted by Zevo

Sad that one of the dogs had to be shot just for doing what it's programmed to do because of some stupid slunt.

Holy fack man, she watched her kid get eaten and you call her that? Cold. Very cold.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

Holy fack man, she watched her kid get eaten and you call her that? Cold. Very cold.

Whilst not the most delicate way to put it you can't fault the logic

[Zevo]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

Holy fack man, she watched her kid get eaten and you call her that? Cold. Very cold.

Ya well, it may be a bit harsh but her sons, and the dogs, demise is no ones fault but her own. Not to mention the nightmares anyone who witnessed it are going to have...probably for a very long time. All in all a very preventable situation.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

Holy fack man, she watched her kid get eaten and you call her that? Cold. Very cold.

The kid is dead because his mother is an idiot. You don't get do-overs in life and due to her negligence that kid's never going to live a proper life. She justly will have that hang over her for the rest of her life.

[puckluck2]

Originally Posted by Zevo

Ya well, it may be a bit harsh but her sons, and the dogs, demise is no ones fault but her own.

And the zoo for not ensuring nobody could fall into the enclosure. I mean they wouldn't have the same setup for lions or tigers would they? Sure the mom is dumb for putting her kid in that situation but the zoo will likely also be facing a negligence lawsuit and I bet they'll be re-arranging that enclosure before it re-opens.

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by Zevo

Sad that one of the dogs had to be shot just for doing what it's programmed to do because of some stupid slunt. Unfortunetly her son and the dog paid the ultimate price for her incredible lack of judgement.

Wow I didn't even consider the dog. The poor boy who is dead, The poor mother who made a mistake and will be haunted for life, the fellow visitors who had to witness that event...

But you dog lovers shoot right to the important stuff don't you? Who gives a flying frack about some stupid mutt, seriously.

[T@T]

This thread reminds me of just what's wrong with society, did you cold hearted freakazoids ever think maybe the mother misjudged that the kid could flip over the fence or even misjudged the dangers of these cute little harmless looking dogs. It was a 5 foot fence and she probably was watching the little guy but lets face it, one little 2 second distraction to take her attention/her eyes off the little boy for is all it takes.

In case you didn't know everyone makes more than one mistake in their lives that could end very tragicly but most get lucky in the result. Calling a mother who just lost her little boy because of a brutal mistake in judgement a stupid slunt and an idiot shows what kind of humans there are on this planet.

Shame on you "perfect" people.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

Wow I didn't even consider the dog. The poor boy who is dead, The poor mother who made a mistake and will be haunted for life, the fellow visitors who had to witness that event...

But you dog lovers shoot right to the important stuff don't you? Who gives a flying frack about some stupid mutt, seriously.

Haha, I love CP's obsession with dogs. It cracks me up everytime a thread gets all dog-lovy, where they get pissed off about something someone says about dogs, or god forbid someone puts people above dogs, and they all start posting pictures of their mutts and saying things like "puggy hates all these bad things being said about dogs" or, "Rover hates this new law" with a picture of their dog underneath.

It used to make me want to puke, but now I just find the humor in it.

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

Wow I didn't even consider the dog. The poor boy who is dead, The poor mother who made a mistake and will be haunted for life, the fellow visitors who had to witness that event...

But you dog lovers shoot right to the important stuff don't you? Who gives a flying frack about some stupid mutt, seriously.

I care more about the dog than I do that mother.

And I don't really care about the dog.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Super Nintendo Chalmers

I care more about the dog than I do that mother.

And I don't really care about the dog.

What about the kid?

[jayswin]

Rufus says "I feel bad for the mother and child in this tragic situation, but not so much for the wild dog, as a human death is more signifacant than a wild dog's."

[Sliver]

Then cowperson will post pics of two Golden Retrievers on a prairie, say something Marlboro-manesque and people will start falling over themselves to tell him how much they love his photos as he quietly slips out of the thread never to return.

Sliver

[puckluck2]

Originally Posted by flameswin

Rufus says "I feel bad for the mother and child in this tragic situation, but not so much for the wild dog, as a human death is more signifacant than a wild dog's."

I'm over at my cousins house and just snapped a pic of his dogs and they agree.

[RedMileDJ]

Terrible decision by the mother. All she wanted to do was allow her son to see the animals.
This kind of hits me in a way. My wife and I were going to take our son (10 months) to the Zoo today. I know I would probably hold him up so he could see things.

I'll be holding him extra tight when we do go. Certainly won't be balancing him on any railings or whatever.

Creepy feeling...