A group of African painted dogs killed a boy who fell into their exhibit today at the Pittsburgh Zoo.
Barbara Baker, the zoo's president, said the child was around 3 years old.
He "fell off an observation deck that's about 14 feet above the exhibit," she said, "and was killed by the dogs."
"Our emergency teams and our Pittsburgh police responded immediately, but there wasn’t anything that could be done," added Baker.
The boy fell into the enclosure at 11:45 a.m., and visitors quickly alerted staff, the zoo said in a statement. A zookeeper moved seven of the 11 dogs out of the exhibit, and a Veterinarian Department member shot darts trying to scare away the remaining dogs.
"Unfortunately, the dogs were in pack mentality and not responding," the zoo said.
Zookeepers, meanwhile, entered the exhibit to try to lure the dogs away, but they could not reach the boy in time. The keepers and Pittsburgh police officers continued efforts, too, to lure away the dogs, and "one aggressive dog was shot and killed by an officer," according to the zoo.
The Pittsburgh Zoo and the associated PPG Aquarium are closed until further notice.
African painted dogs are among the most endangered dog species in the world, with less than 5,000 left in the wild, according to the zoo. The zoo has a breeding program.
Each is about the size of a small German shepherd, Baker said.
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The mother was holding the child and yes the animals are wild but would you not kill even a human if they were trying to kill your family? I just don't understand not shooting the dogs to save the BABY!!!
Well the baby is not on the endangered species list, the dogs are.
Simple math. There are about 5,000 wild dogs in the world and about 7,000,000,000 people in the world. You tell us why a whole bunch of wild dogs should just be killed for someone's stupidity?
Dogs are more important than a three year od kid? Your right...so kill yourself so there is more clean air for the dogs to breath and fresh meat for them then...Good riddance
In such a situation , you could accident shoot the baby.
The zoo and the police both reacted as trained in these types of situations: the zoo used darts and other means to lure the dogs away; the police shot a dog that didn't respond and presented an ongoing threat. Neither the zoo nor the police can afford to put their personnel at fatal risk. I am sorry that a child is dead. It's a sickening accident to even think about. But procedures were followed, and they exist for a reason.
Prayers are with the parents...as a parent I can not imagine going thru this.
It sounds lovely to say prayers, but nothing fails like prayer. To say I'm praying for someone or something is to say I'm not doing anything but I make it like I'm doing something significant.
Rather like your pointless comment, picture9.
"Praying for" is simply an old saying that's about as useless as saying "bless you" when somebody sneezes. It just makes people feel good about themselves while they continue to leave their mostly immoral lives.
The stupidity of some parents never fails to amaze me. So one of the most endangered dogs in the world had to be killed because of a stupid breeder mom and her crotch fruit. Too bad she didn't fall in too.
Harsh way of putting it, but I get her point, it was pretty stupid, and I think I would have jumped in within a second to try to protect my own child. The dog should not have been killed at a zoo! for following its natural extinct
Another puke more worried about the life of a dog than the life of an innocent child. Do the planet a favor and exterminate yourself. Do it for the animals. The humanity level of the planet will rise with your termination, so EVERYONE wins!!!
Reality, these animals did not ask to be put into that pen. We humans want to be entertained by watching animals caged into prisons. The mother who did not follow proper parenting skills messed up big time. The kid and the animals suffered the consequences of her terrible judgement.
Actually, REALITY99, you're the cancer here. The dog was not to blame for this, the mother was, yet it was killed in his own home.
the dog was being aggressive toward the zoo handlers trying to get to the child, they had no choice but to put it down.
i feel for the child, not the mother seeing she placed her child in danger by choosing to ignore strictly written signs warning of that very type of behaviour.
"Another puke more worried about the life of a dog than the life of an innocent child."
LOL who are you to determine which life is more important? Because you are human?
Be a speciest! Have some compassion towards your OWN freaking species!
My best friend lives in PGH and told me about this earlier today. She has been to that exhibit SEVERAL times with her small children and she says he didn't fall but that he somehow got into the exhibit.... BIG difference. But, the boy falling makes the zoo look less liable and the parent more liable.
I'm sure the witnesses may tell the real story. Your BFF's story makes no sense, the zoo couldn't get away with lying.
Was he sitting on the wall/fence overlooking the exhibit? Lots and lots of parents hold their children up and over or allow them to sit on the barrier. You see this all the time at various zoos.
So your best friend was there and witnessed this tragic event? Anything less and you are just adding to the confusion and misrepresentation of what actually happened.
So many experts here, it is amazing!
Did your buddy tell you there was a fence he was lifted over? Check the other stories on this...
The mother picked up the child and sat him on the ledge. She let go of him. The kid was scared of both the height and the dogs. He squirms to get back into his mother's arms but she has stepped back and the kid falls screaming off the side. The dogs lick their lips and chomp their sharp, razor blade teeth into the screaming child's body and tear him to shreds.
The mother stood the child on the railing so he could get a better look. This is not the fault of the zoo.
The parents are liable, not the zoo. And, they only got themselves to blame. Too bad a dog had to be put down because of the carelessness of human beings.
Let me guess, now they are going to sue the park for millions because of unsafe fencing. How about you DON'T do that and instead watch your children and let wild animals be where they belong, in the wild, especially when they are not an endangered species. Stupid humans.
Only these dogs are endangered species.
Big Alex -while your opinion is appreciated, perhaps stop for a moment to consider the amount of grief the parents have right now. None of us are perfect...and to have to endure a tragedy like this is beyond any of our abilities...
Sorry, Daniela, but I have to disagree with you. A parent who lets their child do dumb things or put them in danger is to blame. Grief or no grief, they should have used their brains instead of trying to win points with their kid. And now the kid is dead. Whether it's them dangling their children over a ledge to get a better look, or letting them stay out late any day of the week, parents got to learn that being your kids best buddy will only hurt them in the long run.
Daniela, do we blame the car seat for the death of a child in a car accident because a stupid parent didn't buckle them in? No we blame the stupid parent! Just like here, we don't blame the dog for mauling the kid who was dropped into the pit of wild dogs and mauled, we blame the stupid parent!
"perhaps stop for a moment to consider the amount of grief the parents have right now. None of us are perfect...and to have to endure a tragedy like this is beyond any of our abilities..."
Perhaps ALL parents should stop for a moment and start thinking about parenting.
Who said they are sueing!!!! I know this mother
Then please do something good and go to her and comfort her...they are going to need a lot of help
Then why are you wasting your time reading and commenting here? Go help her, see what she needs. Do something useful.
And keep her away from seeing the subhumans on here whining about some dogs, while joking about an innocent child being killed. They'll get what the deserve.
No one is making jokes, Reality. I mean, how easy was it for this kid to fall into the enclosure? Probably not that easy. Except with a parent's help.
If you know the mother, can you get some pictures of the boy after the attack and post them? Did he scream as the dogs shred him apart?
I'm sure that's exactally what I meant...plus I guess I woud carrying a fire arm into a family fun park in broad daylight as well. Sorry for the dogs...I am an animal lover...I don't even eat meat...but killing a child for whatever reason is not a good thing. If you think it is 'natures way' you need to get a grip. Zoo's are not even nature's way...the parent didn't even jump in to save the child...the whole thing stinks.
how do you know they did not try????
To 'parents worst nightmare':
Because there is no report of anyone else being taken to the hospital for being bitten! That's how!
~Blessed Be to all~
If you've ever seen wild dogs attack....you would know there was little that could be done once the child fell into the pen...the dogs can rip apart a large animal in mere seconds...think pirahna with fur...
During a time like this, we really could do without the visual. This is a child that has died in a very tragic manner...
I blame to zoo, sue them!
YOu have got to be kidding! How is this the Zoo's fault. Try people that shouldn't be allowed to breed in the first place...
Why? The zoo is not at fault at all.
Similar to dangling your infant over a balcony rail in a hotel?!?! Poor baby, poor dogs, poor witnesses. Do not say the zoo should be prepared for all eventualities....that is humanly impossible!
no one should comment on this article unless it's for the sympathy for the family.
thank you i know this family and they are devestated
Laurie, I do feel badly for them. They're going to have to live with this one bad choice for the rest of their lives. I couldn't even imagine.
okay, they have my sympathy for being bad parents.
okay, they have my sympathy for being bad parents.
Ditto. I put them in the same category as parents who forget they left their child in a car on a hot day, or parents who run over their kids with their car by accident. It's no accident if you don't use your brain and think of the consequences of your action. If they wanted to protect their child they should have made sure they didn't get into a position of harm in the first place.
yup I am so sorry this child had to have such a stupid mother! my sympathy to him!!!
lol thanks for telling me what I can and cannot comment on and how.
And this mother is nothing of the sort. How one allows their child to fall into a zoo enclosure is beyond me. Its called parenting and it seems like most parents cant.
I hate zoos. It's sick to do that to animals. My heart breaks for the parents and for the loss of the child. This is all so preventable. Man is so stupid.
Zoos fulfill a number of important functions that contribute to the overall welfare and survival of animal species - breeding endangered ones (like these dogs), taking in those who are unable to fend for themselves in the wild for one reason or another (injured, or "defective" like white tigers, or bred and raised in some truly abusive captive situation like a roadside attraction or circus), and raising public awareness of and respect for wild animals and conservation. Tragedies like this one are extremely rare and usually a result of guests who refuse to follow the rules, as this case seems to have been. It'd make more sense to say that we shouldn't own domestic dogs (which kill or injure far more people than zoo animals, and of course are themselves subjected to all kinds of abuse whether vicious or not.)
Talk about pack mentality...Cowards..The parent didn't jump in after? A by stander ? no one? Sounds like Pittsburgh is the city of brotherly cowards to me.
you were not there how could you know that????
They say when tragidy happens people pull together. How sad to read these comment and know that is not true
And why exactly do you expect some random bystander to jump into an enclosure filled with dangerous wild animals? Especially considering the child was probably killed within seconds. The only thing that would change is that we'd be talking about two casualties instead of just one.
It's not a pack of Shih Tzus. They're large, wild dogs. I wouldn't hold any bystander accountable for not leaping many feet down into an enclosure filled with animals in pack mode. People are talking really big on here, but I'd lay odds some of the bystanders would've made the same comments we're seeing here about being "brave." There's brave, and there's fatal.
A coward is a person behind a computer screen exhibiting no empathy in a situation like this. And yes...let us generalize that the whole city of Pittsburgh is like this. I am from there (my whole life) and I can tell you not one person would sit back in a case like this. Get a grip and some empathy while you are at it. Try putting yourself in these folks shoes right now...it is sickening...you can't do it so you sit back and point fingers. Nice...
Then there could be more dead people if they jumped in.
you go right ahead, michael, and jump into a pack of wild dogs in pack mentality......we will film it
I am definitely not jumping in to save someone else's child. I am not having these dogs teeth ripping my eyes, lips, and ears off.
It was a 14 foot drop, and if you somehow managed to land unhurt, you'd still have to confront 11 wild dogs in pack mentality.
They'd be pulling your body out, too, not just the child's.
I read it in the Pitt. Gaz. Post and it's reported that the mother had him on the ledge, fell past a mesh and then onto the ground where 11 dogs were. Seven were lured away and 4 remained by the boy. One dog was shot/killed due to agressiveness and between the other 3, the boy was mauled to death.
Again, this is the mothers fault, she will have to live with the yelling and screaming of all the tourists around her trying to distract the dogs and get them away from the boy ... she will live with her knowing that her boy was torn apart because of her poor actions and will probably sue the zoo.
Now a day's this is what as a society do when we mess up, trying to make a buck out of something that was our own fault ....
I feel for the mother, but at the same time, I am mad at her as well, as countless people that ignore what's around them and just don't think.
Sounds like she had an MJ moment.
Where was the child's Father??
This is terrible. Stupid and preventable. The consequence of bad parenting.
Somehow this doesn't suprise me. Some parents just don't think!! I am sorry for the death of the child, but the mother (if this article is true) is to blame, not the animals. And to kill an animal because of unthinking humans upsets me a lot.
Right...but it it were your child in there, would you feel so bad for those "poor" animals. I don't think so. This is a human life...can you possibly have some compassion for the child and not the animals? I just can't believe this!
If it were my child in there, I would have been half a second behind them and would have given my life to protect them. Shame on the cowards who watched this child be mauled. 11 animals each "the size of a small German shepherd," these animals would hesitate to attack even one full sized man let alone 2 or 3 if they'd had the courage to go in.
If that were the case you would not be typing this as 11 dogs would have taken you down quick. You have no weapons and you are in a restricted area. Basically you are not in your element but in theirs. They would bite your legs and they would start to bleed making them even more ferocious. You would fall down and then its the beginning of the end. 11 dogs untamed is pretty high odds of a kill when they work with the team effort to subdue you. They take down cattle easily by just wearing them down to exhaustion. They have the numbers and you don't. Its all wishful thinking
Not me. I'm a Kung fu man.
Agreed
Wrong! With their pack mentality, they would have attacked and killed anyone else, too.
Josh, I respect you're sense of honor and courage, but I doubt these animals would hesitate very much hesitate to attack a lone adult male human. I've seen footage of them taking down full grown zebras, which are bigger and nastier than people. They are very efficient successfull hunters. More so than lions, even. They attack in well coordinated packs. These are not like dog species that most people are familiar with. More like pirahana or velociraptors.
Sorry to bust your bubble but these Cape hunting dogs bring down large game.
Josh, maybe dogs, but not wild dogs. Besides any adults who entered the pen and lived, would have been arrested and sued, as they should have been.
Because you were there and know for a fact that there were whatever number of people nearby.
Everyone I know named Josh is an idiot has to be something in the name.
Unfortunately, that line of thinking is incorrect and potentially dangerous. You would also have been mauled and there would have been a high possibility of 2 deaths. If you noticed, zoo officials and law enforcement were in the enclosure and the dogs did not respond. Any canine species, regardless of size, when under pack mentality can be compared to a human mob or (from what I hear since I have never been in one) a person in a serious fight. There is "tunnel vision" and lack of response to either physical or emotional restraint. An animal the size of a "small German Shepherd" is not small and dogs have much stronger muscle mass pound for pound than humans do. A single man would not have been able to fight off a pack of 11 dogs in hunt mode with wounded prey (which is what they would consider the boy...and you). I understand the desire to save a child, but I think you would have been another casualty. We humans have a tendency to underrate animal strength, especially in dogs species whom we equate with our domesticated family pets.
I would have dove in there and started swinging at those beasts, people are such cowards these days!!!
Go do that now. It will be fun to watch.
So I'm supposed to dive in a cage with 11 wild dogs and promptly die because you're too stupid to properly look after your kid?
Ok, gotcha.
Yeah, you jump down 10 or 15 feet to fight a pack of wild dogs. Have fun, big talker. BTW, what's your exit strategy, Einstein?
Yeah, people with no training who decide against jumping into pits filled with predators are "cowards." Nice try, REMF.
She pulled a Michael Jackson. No one's fault but the parent.
Apparently, Josh, you don't realize the kind of damage that a dog, forget about 11 of them , can do. That kid was dead within moments.While I do not doubt that you would go into the pen to save your child, those dogs would have torn you up along with your friends. A couple of them take you down and a couple go for your neck. You would last a bit longer than the child, but bravado would not save you.I read in a different article that there was a five foot high fence also. How did the kid get over a five foot high fence ? One of those parents should be doing some slammertime. By the way, I have a German Shepherd and I have seen what he can do. I was mauled by a GSD when I was a paperboy. I would not want to be in an enclosure with 11 of them.
excellent point Josh.
bunch of adult cowards watched a child get mauled.....14 ft won't kill you especially if you hang down before you let go ...reduced drop to 8 or 9 feet
I totally agree! Those dogs would have to have killed me first before they did anything to my kid or really any other kid. I can't see why nobody else helped out before the kid got mauled.
Are people not understanding how quickly this all happened? There wouldn't be time to save this boy. Those dogs were on him within seconds. There was no "before the kid got mauled," unfortunately.
I guess it's easier to race back to the bedroom and make more.
*eyeroll*
go on youtube google these dogs
they take down prey 4 5 6 times there size wilderbeasts! another person jumpin in is another person
if not dead probably close...ur letting their size fool you!
saw a pack of 6 chase a leapoard into tree! No chance for a human...sorry
These animals hunt prey much larger than humans. The distraction of another or others jumping in might have saved the kid, but the animals would not have been scared off, just their attention diverted. At least one person would have ended up dead.
No, they wouldn't have. Being the size of a small German shepherd doesn't mean they are comparable to a small German shepherd in other regards. The dog the person was facing might have retreated - while five more circled around to get him from behind. African wild dogs are well-noted for their complex, tactical pack-hunting techniques. People talking about "taking them on" frankly appear poignantly-funny-sad tragic clowns. It's okay not to know anything about this animal, but don't talk like you do.
Are you an idiot? They are pack animals, they are not going to hesitate to attack a fully grown man. Even three grown men dont have a chance against eleven african painted dogs
Can't we have compassion for both?
It seems the majority of the compassion is for the child and the dog.....they are the true victims...
Ah, there it is. Leave it to an atheist to be the voice of reason.
Euphori, that is pretty much how it always is. Because atheists think with their heads, and theists think with their as ses.
I agree.
I have MORE compassion for the 3 year old HUMAN boy.
I have MORE compassion for the 3 year old HUMAN.
Can't we have compas*sion for both?
If it was my child I would not be angry at the animal. What is wrong with you?
You are absolutely right! I am sick of people putting animals before people. The human child was a victim here, and all those wild dogs combined were not worth the child's life.
You are absolutely wrong! I am sick of people putting humans above animals. The wild dogs are endangered and there are way too many people on the planet.
Human wasn't the victim, the animals were. They're taken out of their natural habitat and stuck in a jail for humans to gawk at. They saw food, not a person.
Animals should be put before people. But parents that take actions that directly result in the death of their child should be punished.
The child was not the only victim, the painted dog that was shot to death was a victim as well.
The child was a victim if his mother who put him up on a railing meant to protect him and then let him go. Not only that, but then didn't jump in after him to try and save him from what she'd done. Absolute and total compassion for the child. And also some common sense hope that the zoo isn't compelled to kill the rest of the dogs which didn't know any better than to act purely on instinct. We're the humans, we're the ones who are supposed to know better than to endanger our children.
Would you have jumped into the pack of dogs to try and save the child and risk your own life? If so, congratulations, because you would have done more than the mom did.
When the day comes for you to explain to your grand children why there aren't any lions and tigers and bears left in the world please call me. I would love to hear your excuses.
I would never put my child in a position to fall into the enclosure. What the mother did is not symbolic of an intelligent creature.
that not right and his mom was sad to she lost her son and she did not push him in there so.
As bad as I feel for this little boy there are 7 billion people on the planet vs. the 5000 African painted dogs. The tragedy here is that one of these animals and their species had to pay the price for the stupidly of human beings. This mother is an idiot for putting her child's life at risk and zoos shouldn't be inprisioning animals for the entertainment of selfish ignorant human beings. Always amazes me how self centered humans are that they think they are the only life on this planet that counts. Humans are a cancer destroying the Earth and it is disgusting.
why is it an either/or situation?
Whatever. ALL those animals already paid the price. Better to be dead than to live in confinement. ZOOS suck!
Daniela, you are laboring under the ignorant and uneducated assumption that a human life is somehow more valuable than an animal's. It is not. And you are also laboring under the stupid idea that the animals are "bad." They are not. They are animals, carnivores, and are only behaving according to their instinct. To kill them would be a monstrous evil. They did not ask to be confined in a cage in a zoo. They are not just a prettier version of your mutt you keep in your back yard. Grow up.
Would you say its life was more valuable while it mauled one of your loved ones? Do you think that child cared how endangered it was while it tore him apart? You are a heartless idiot. Go join all of the cowards who stood there and watched. Thank god we had a police officer with some courage to keep others safe.
The child's dead, he won't feel your compassion. The mother deserves a little compassion so long as she actually does the responsible thing and acknowledge that this was her own doing and not try to shove it off on the zoo with a lawsuit. The problem here in America is that people do stupid things they know they have no business doing, but then cry victim when they suffer the consequences.
if my child would be there I would watch it!
Watch it get ate.
I'd watch too. We have things in common!
Because humans are DENSE, despite what they claim... the "superior species", allegedly. Bull!
I've been to this exhibit many times at the Pittsburgh Zoo and I can tell you it would be very very hard for a child that is being supervised by a adult to just fall in. It would require a significant amount of climbing. Climbing that a 3 yr old shouldn't be able to do with a adult around. Unless the adult was holding the child who was standing on the railing. Either way it is a sad tragedy but a avoidable one if proper supervision was provided by the family of that child. I think the big picture here should be that not all are qualified to have children!
Apparently the... (older human)... held the child up on top of the railing. Probably nattered something like "ooooo see the pretty doggieeeees?"
Child falling was completely predictable. Animals hit by a flying intruder then attacking the intruder, completely predictable. Lawsuit by the ...(older human).. whining about how terrible and unpredictable it all was, completely predictable.
Over 7 billion humans on the planet – no shortage there. The African dogs are an endangered species.
Everyone who is upset about the child's death. I hope you are living by the bare minimum and sending every cent you can spare to charity. Because 21,000 kids die daily, and I hope you are just as upset about their needless death. Because if it's between this near endangered dog and this one child. The dog is more valuable.
absolutely. people rant and rave about the animal but don't ask themselves, what if it was my child.
If it was my child I wouldn't have put him up on a barrier meant to keep people out and safe. And if he somehow had gotten/fallen in, you'd better believe I'd be the first one jumping in to save my own child.
Umm... The child was already dead. So, what logic is there in shooting a wild dog for doing what's natural?
I know right? Let's go ahead and pre-emptively kill or destroy things that can possibly kill our children.
If it was my child in there, I would have jumped in after him. I would have held him close to me and shield him from their teeth and died in place of him. The police officer did the right thing to kill the dog to try to protect the child. The parent who put him on the rail should be charged with negligent homicide or at the very least, child endangerment.
i'm 100% certain that everyone has compassion for the child.
Don't kill the dogs, but ship them back to where they came from. These dogs escaped in May, too. They are wily.
if you are so compassionate, daniela, why did you not mention compassion for the parents?
I wish they would post pictures of the boy after the dogs finished with him.
I agree this is insane!!! Kill all the dogs for all I care whether it's the mother's fault or not! This world has lost it's mind in so many ways especially with regard to children! A human life is much more important over some endangered dog! INSANE!
The human and animal families are mourning innocent losses. As a mother and animal advocate, I feel no more or less sympathy for either party involved.
Dont blame the wild dogs, its their nature. The mother is the one that was stupidly negligent and should be charged for the death of the child and the animal.
There are a few billion of us, and a couple thousand of them. Do the math. I will side with the dogs on this one.
who are you to determine what life is more valuable?
Of course everyone feels horrible for the child. However, it is sad that an animal – and one that is of an endangered species – was senselessly killed due to a careless act of a human. I hope to God this woman can not and is not allowed to sue the zoo. The mother is responsible for the death of her child and an animal who was doing nothing wrong other than acting naturally.
So for you idiots that think the animals should be killed because of human stupidity – hopefully the next time you're in a zoo you can somehow 'lose your balance' over the lion exhibit during feeding time. These animals were doing what they were bred to do in the WILD and some idiot was irresponsible and careless and was the reason it happened. Morons all of you...
There are 7,000,000,000 humans. There are 5,000 of those dogs. Please look at the reality of the situation with reason and not just emotion.
I AM sorry. But it is not the animals fault.
It, sadly, is the fault of the mother who stood her young child on the railing so he could get a better look.
Well, it wouldn't be my child in there because I am not a stupid moron who would put my toddler on the edge of a barrier that surrounds a wild animal enclosure. I have plenty of compassion for this poor, defenseless child who died a death that must have been horrific. But you cannot fault WILD animals for behaving the way they do. They shouldn't be in a zoo in the first place. And they sure shouldn't be taking the blame for the actions of some human who is obviously too stupid to own pets, much less be a parent. Now, the rest of this family has to live with this woman's actions and with them is where my sympathies lie.
So if your child was being mauled by a dog, you would say...."no, not this was my fault. Don't kill the poor animal because of my stupidity. Just let him kill my kid. I'll feel better for it"..Really?????
What I "really" wouldn't do is bring my child to a place where wild animals are on display, then let them anywhere near where something like this could happen. Really. Once again, animals pay the price of human stupidity.
This is not like I was walking down the street in my neighborhood with my child and a pit bull came out and attacked us. These zoo animals were in a controlled environment and a negligent inattentive adult did not properly supervise his or her child. You can't blame wild animals for doing what comes naturally.
For subhumans like "TheVocalAtheist", yes, he/she/it would allow their child to be killed in order to protect a mutt. These are the ilk that kill innocent children for profit, so allowing animals to kill children wouldn't be any different for their putrid thinking.
Reality is a bafoon. This is a zoo, aka an animal sancuary, and the mom should be charged with child abuse resulting in death
Iz, on the street, no,i would agree. But in a protected enviroment, with critically endangered animals. One human life is meaningless.
I'd hate to do it, but if necessary would gun down an endangered animal to save a human. Yes, even the son of an idiot mother. But even if the kid in this situation didn't die from the fall, there apparently were only 3 dogs near him, and it's questionable whether there would have been a reason to shoot all three.
I agree...
Reread the article. The child was motionless when he hit the ground. The autopsy will show if the child was killed by the fall or by the mauling. These dogs went into pack mentality – they were doing what dogs do.
My child wouldn't end up in a zoo enclosure containing endangered and dangerous animals. No way, no how.
Punch Yourself.
lz: jump right in and take on those wild dogs by yourself. there will be plenty of camcorders on so your last moments will be saved for posterity's sake
Yes.
Yes. If you put your child in harm's way, let Darwinism take its course and clean the gene pool since it is clear you have urinated in it.
It was already too late for the baby by the time the dog was killed.
By the time they shot that dog the child was dead. He fell 12 ft, which I pray was what killed him so he didn't have to suffer, and then attacked by 11 dogs. That one wasn't killing her kid.
The kid was already dead. It's a tragedy for everyone. One can actually feel compassion for both the kid and the shot dog–it's not an emotional impossibility, you know. Most people are just shocked and angry at the mother for even contemplating putting her child on the railing. I cannot envision ever propping up a child on ANY railing, not matter what was behind it: a 5 foot drop on just concrete can kill a child as easily as the dogs could have.
This was a sad tale of a tragically stupid mistake that took two lives.
First. the death was a tragedy BUT the animals called "dogs" in the enclosure were not the "domesticated" kind we all love. The "dogs" are actually more closely related to hyenas. Their natural prey is the old, the sick and, of course, the young and weak. The zoo dogs were only doing what they were created to do. Eat. This particular tasty morsel that fell from "heaven" must have been a wonderful surprise snack for them. The dogs cannot be faulted. The child's caretaker is completely to blame for this human tragedy. The trigger happy cop needs to be prosecuted as harshly as the law permits.
agree
I agree. There are less than 5k left in the world, and the popo shoot and kill one to save 1 of 7.5 billion. Disgusting.
....spoken like a true single guy with no kids.....
All you people who feel like the dogs' lives are more important than this poor little child's life are a disgrace to the human race and will burn in hell. I wish you all could take the child's place because you all don't deserve to live:-(
Very Christian of you, Dash. And I'm going to assume you are speaking from your Christian ivory tower since you made reference to 'hell.'
oron.......ur disgusted by the killing of a wild dog but show no sympathy for a child.....a child is just 1 of 7.5 billion for u.....
you should be fed the the wild dogs man....
Really!!?? You obviously don't have any children or idea about life. I sure hope the zoo personnel weren't trying to save the dogs life by using darts and the child was lost...
There are 5k left in the *wild*, the zoo has a breeding program.. if you could read you'd see that.
Actually, what's disgusting is that you value the life of a dog more so than the life of an innocent 2 year old child. The police were trying to save the boy and they were able to get most of the dogs away from him without killing them. This one wouldn't leave and they had no choice. I sincerely hope you don't have children.
I'm right with you, Mickey. The dogs are ENDANGERED. Humans are just DANGEROUS.
I support Darwinism.
I'm not saying if it were my child, that I wouldn't be upset and destroyed. But the fact is... I wouldn't have dangled my child over the railing like Michael Jackson in a photo-op frenzy.
The parent should be charged, both for child neglect, endangerment and stupidity, but also sued for the cost of killing a wild, endangered animal.
I bet you would feel the same way if that was your child.
You must not have any children, or a heart. Keep your stupid comments to yourself
Bet numbers wouldn't matter to you if it was someone YOU knew or loved now would it? Have some dignity and respect. The fact of the matter is that an innocent victim lost their life. PERIOD.
They had to kill the one dog to get it away from the poor child's body.
Mickey1313, Frank... I'm sure you support the road sign for the fish killed on the way to the market..... You people make me sick. 1 of 7.5 billion humans is worth more than all 5,000 dogs. I hope they made a coat from the dog they killed and gave it to the mother as a keep sake.
I think they should have killed all of the dogs. A human life was lost. Or maybe we could just put you in there with the dogs since you love them so much.
You really think an animal is worth more than a human, however rare? You're nuts.
I agree with you that it is the responsibility of the parents for their child's safety. However sad that the killing of an animal is, sometimes it must be done, for the rescuers safety as well. If you understand animal behavior & language you will realize this to be true. African wild dogs are pack animals similar to wolves & dingos. When frightened or in a pack frenzy, they will attack, that's just the way they are hardwired to respond if they cannot flee the area. They did their best to lure them out of the enclosure and this particular animal wasn't having it – what else were they supposed to do? Let it keep mauling the boys body in front of the parents or attack the rescue team?
You are so on the money. The parents are at fault for this. It's the same parents that let their kids play in the street and when cars come they don't move or just keep playing. Then when their child gets hit or kill its everyone else's fault. The zoo did the best they could by even killing one of the animals. It's not the animals fault. Whe the hell puts their kid on a ledge to see animals!
You're an idiot! No matter what happened, you put the life of an ANIMAL before the life of a human?
Humans are the stewards of this planet. These dogs would probably not be endangered if not for us and there would be no need for a breeding program at the zoo. Personally I won't miss this mother's particular DNA in the gene pool. Let this tragedy serve as a cautionary tale for the other 7 billion humans here.
Technically, we are animals too. Most animals have been on the planet longer than we have, what makes us more important? Why is it that humans think they are more important than any other living creature?
And just who are you to decide which life is more important?
"you put the life of an ANIMAL before the life of a human?"
Who was doing that? The child was already dead. All that shooting the dog accomplished was to end two lives instead of one.
Can't resist pointing this out: humans are ANIMALS. Species-ism is rampant foolishness.
I have to agree. Its the mother's fault for not taking even the most trivial precautions to protect her child.
This mother probably would not think twice of allowing another child to fall into an active volcano.
I can not understand it either . Baffled. Why on earth would somebody perch a toddler on a ledge with a 14 feet drop. You would not do that on a third story balcony ledge to get a better look at the street parade.
Agreed!!
Precisely!
So if this was your child or someone in your family.. you would be okay with watching that animal destroy that little baby? You wouldn't want it to stop?! Regardless if the baby died upon impact, that doesn't justify allowing the dog to continue attacking that baby. PERIOD.
Justify? The child dying on impact does not "justify" an animal from doing what it is genetically and biologically coded to do? better it was you that fell in so you could appeal to the animal's better judgement.
PERIOD. As in what you are on. We're not talking about allowing the dog to maul a dead baby. We're talking about not shooting a severely endangered species when tranquilizers are available. It's a zoo, they have tranqs.
It's not right to risk the living to save a corpse, Nicole. The kid was probably already dead by the time they got to the enclosure gate. It's unfortunate, but I would not put anyone in harm's way in order to save a corpse from being eaten. The mother – if she truly cared about her child – would not have dangled him over the enclosure. She deserves being blamed because she was the one who dangled a helpless child over a pit of wild animals.
It wasn't a baby, it was a 3-year old boy. And no one is saying it was OK to just sit and watch the animals attack the boy. I completely agree that the incident was horrible & tragic... but also that the mother was incredibly stupid and that it's a shame that one of these endangered animals had to be killed because of her stupidity.
I assume you would have preferred to let the wild dogs feed on the corpse of a 3 year old child until nothing was left? I'm not surprised. Some people really don't belong at the top of the food chain at all. Please go be one with the wild dogs in Africa. Please do.
does the story state that it was a mother and not a father or both or neither–an uncle, an older brother–who was/were with the child?
Best comment here!!
I completely agree. And now an extremely endangered animal was shot. The parents are to blame in this case. Tragic, but true. Like sitting your child in the middle of a pride of lion and shooting the lion when it attacks. Some people have no common sense.
they only killed one dog they could not get him off the baby
its not true the news reports are saying but not another word will be said by me everyone prefers to belive the worst ....she loved her baby
So in certain cases, you would rather protect an animals life over a humans life? Thats sad
You can't expect a 2 year old to know better.
Frank: people are precious. Yes, animals are living creatures too but humans are far more special than animals. This horrific death of this little boy should make people weep for this baby, not start bemoaning the fate of the dogs. Seriously, that is why Hitler succeeded for so long–because people cared more about themselves and non-humans, than about the human victims of the Holocaust. That is really evil.
boohoo so a wild dog got shot that was being aggressive. it an animal. I love my dogs also but one bites me I will shot it