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Child mauled to death by African painted dogs


Still Waters

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Officials of the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium confirmed this afternoon that a little boy was mauled to death today after falling into the African painted dog exhibit.

The incident occurred at 11:48 a.m. at the Highland Park complex, according to emergency dispatch supervisor. The zoo was shut down within a half-hour of the incident and will remain closed indefinitely.

A Pittsburgh police officer shot and killed one of the 11 dogs in the exhibit.

http://www.post-gaze...exhibit-660606/

How awful :(

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How, exactly, did the child get into the enclosure I wonder?

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How, exactly, did the child get into the enclosure I wonder?

'Zoo President and Chief Executive Officer Barbara Baker said the child, who was about 3 years old, was on an outing with his mother when he fell over a wooden railing and off of a mesh barrier where the painted dogs were on display. A zoo spokeswoman said the wooden railing is 4 feet in height and the lower mesh barrier is 14 feet above the open exhibit space.'

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'Zoo President and Chief Executive Officer Barbara Baker said the child, who was about 3 years old, was on an outing with his mother when he fell over a wooden railing and off of a mesh barrier where the painted dogs were on display. A zoo spokeswoman said the wooden railing is 4 feet in height and the lower mesh barrier is 14 feet above the open exhibit space.'

I can't picture what they mean by a 'mesh barrier' ...... doesn't sound as though it and the fence were adequate to keep people safe, anyway.

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That's tragic.

I don't know the exact situation as to what happened, but surely there must've been someone around who was capable of jumping in after the kid to save him, it's not as though they are tigers or lions.

Like what about the guy banging a rake to distract them?! Hit the dogs with the rake ffs, they are eating a little kid, don't prance around like an idiot.

Maybe I got it wrong, but I don't really get it.

Besides that I do feel sorry for the kids family and the people who had to witness it.

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They say the barriers were 4ft high and I'm thinking the kid couldn't be that tall, so I'm thinking he's been climbing on the fence, but then again what kid doesn't when they go to the zoo to get a better look.

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This is such a horrible thing to have happen to the kid. I don't see how the mother kept from jumping in there herself.

Why do parents feel that they can ignore little kids around wild animals. This isn't the first time something like this has happened.

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I hope the child was killed by the fall before the dogs got to him. So very sad...

Maybe they should let kids test zoo barriers, etc., rather than some old adults okaying enclosures.

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I hope the child was killed by the fall before the dogs got to him. So very sad...

Maybe they should let kids test zoo barriers, etc., rather than some old adults okaying enclosures.

Thats actually a very good idea. Wonder if they do something like that before they build them?

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This is awful. Kids are all over the place, that's why you have to have a constant eye on them. It's so easy for me to automatically blame the mother for not watching her child, but I wasn't there and didn't see what happened. But still...

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I see they've changed the wording in the news report slightly since my OP. It now says -

"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.

"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."

http://www.post-gaze...exhibit-660606/

:( :(

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Maybe they should test out kids with their parents before using a particular enclosure or fencing. You can't ignore what you think some kids or parents will not do.

My heart goes out to the mother. It only takes a second to make a mistake a tragic mistake. I don't think any parent gets by without a close call.

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They don't have "above human" fences? Shame, shame.

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Looks pretty low and easy to fall out of from inside, if you were standing on the upper barrier. The video shows people walking inside and it doesn't look very high at all, to me. As someone else posted I would have jumped in after my son. But that is no strike on the distraught mother.

http://usnews.nbcnew...inted-dogs?lite

121104-zoo-hmed-12p.380;380;7;70;0.jpg

Edited by QuiteContrary
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How could anyone just stand there for 5 minutes and do nothing to try and help him? I beat even some of them were taking video of it with their phone. I could never just sit back while a child is being hurt, I would have jumped in even if it cost me my life.

Reminds me of how a group of people watched as a Father repeatedly jumped on his child and did nothing to help. How hard is it to band together as a group to try and help?

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I dont see how a crowd of people could just stand there and watch something like that happen. if at least 5 people were to jump in and save that baby it wouldve still been alive. They just sat there and watch as if it were a real time movie.. *** humans...

Rip young one.. travel well

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How could anyone just stand there for 5 minutes and do nothing to try and help him? I beat even some of them were taking video of it with their phone. I could never just sit back while a child is being hurt, I would have jumped in even if it cost me my life.

Reminds me of how a group of people watched as a Father repeatedly jumped on his child and did nothing to help. How hard is it to band together as a group to try and help?

i didnt see this reply. but this exactly how im feeling.

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I wonder if there is foul play involved.

If my kid fell like that, nothing could keep me from vaulting in there and covering him with my body.

But I pray I never am tested like that.

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I wonder if there is foul play involved.

If my kid fell like that, nothing could keep me from vaulting in there and covering him with my body.

I probably won't have children.

I don't know how I could live with myself if I saw something like that happen to my kid.

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What on earth possessed the mother to put the child on top of the fence? But also, having fallen off the fence, why wasn't there some sort of net that worked for him to land on? Catalogue of errors :hmm:

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There is no way that I wouldn't have been down there protecting my child. No way. Although, someone in shock can freeze and not be able to move, so, I know from past experience that I would not freeze like that, others may not be able to react.

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Yeah, great points. I'm sure even a pack of 7 dogs(or whatever) would not want to take-on 10 angry humans, and thus likely would have scampered away.

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There were signs not to be standing on the rail but yet she put her child on it. I don't understand why she did this. If the kid needed a better view pick him up and hold him.

I couldn't of stood there and watched my child being mauled like that. I would of went in after him immediately.

I also hope he died from the fall but I have my doubts about that.

I hate to say this but there are some that want to get rid of their kids. We just assume because we would want to protect our children with our life others would, remember Susan Smith.

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