2 year old killed at zoo

[etudiant]

I've run into some bitter replies for saying so, but I think this helps illustrate why society needs some sort of licensing or vetting process for those that want to have children.

A first aid attendant needs to take a course of studies (around here anyway) to put a bandage on a worker at a construction site, but those that aim to take responsibility for an individuals critical first decade and a half or so need display no capabilities whatsoever. Psychosis, addictions, developmental issues, brain damage- all are considered OK for future parents by today's standards.

I'm not saying this case may fall into said category, but a large portion of social service expenditures stem from the results of a chaotic and highly dysfunctional childhood, either through seizure of children from their families, or dealing with the results further down the road through the medical and/or criminal justice systems.

How this might be administered in practice is a tough question. But I'm not sure the ability to have children is an unquestioned human right. Whatever decisions were made would surely run into controversy, but on the other hand, in other critical areas of life, life and death decisions have to be- and are - made by those so delegated, such as police officers, paramedics, doctors, judges, etc.

[froglipz]

The four foot fence surrounds a pit, so it is more than four feet that separates the people from the wild dogs. Zoos have to balance against accessibility, if people can't SEE the animals they won't come visit them..

[Chris OConnor]

I just don't think a 4 foot tall fence is sufficient to keep people out of harms way. OK, so the 2 year old was placed up there by his irresonsible mom. Forget this particular incident and just think about any of the other possible scenarios. What if the child was a hyperactive 6 year old quite capable of running and hopping up on the 4 foot fence and accidentally slipping/flipping over into the midst of the wild dogs? That accident would take less than a second or two to happen and a mom busy holding a younger child wouldn't be quick enough to prevent the older child from getting up and over the fence.

The point is that yes the mom screwed up but there are tons of ways to secure people from wild animals. It has been done throughout human civilization. The enclosure could have a taller glass wall or bars or a net at the top. I just can't picture seeing my own little buy ripped apart by wild animals. He is just about to turn 2 years old and this story just really bothers me. I just got a tape measure out. I'm 6' tall. A 4' tall fence is just a bit over my belly button. It just isn't tall enough when there are carnivorous pack animals on the other side. Zoos are filled with children and not all are well adjusted, mature and intelligent enough to not hop up on that fence to take a seat or get a better unobstructed view.

Yes, the mom majorly messed up. But so did the zoo for not better designing that enclosure.

[Mr A]

I just don't think a 4 foot tall fence is sufficient to keep people out of harms way.

He was well out of harms way, about 10 feet away from the pit, till the mother placed him in harms way on the 4 foot high railing, where he then fell a total of 14 feet to the dogs. I dont think the zoo should be responsible for the mothers irresponsibilty in this case.

The USDA is investigating the enclosure itself in regards to the Animal Welfare Act.

I never was attracted the the whole going to the zoo thing. I only went because of my attraction to the girlfriends I went there with, not the zoo, as such. It was to that zoo, too, that I would go to, as I live in Pittsburgh. I dislike animals, pets, zoo's, nature.

[etudiant]

I just don't think a 4 foot tall fence is sufficient to keep people out of harms way.

He was well out of harms way, about 10 feet away from the pit, till the mother placed him in harms way on the 4 foot high railing, where he then fell a total of 14 feet to the dogs. I dont think the zoo should be responsible for the mothers irresponsibilty in this case.

The USDA is investigating the enclosure itself in regards to the Animal Welfare Act.

I never was attracted the the whole going to the zoo thing. I only went because of my attraction to the girlfriends I went there with, not the zoo, as such. It was to that zoo, too, that I would go to, as I live in Pittsburgh. I dislike animals, pets, zoo's, nature.

You dislike nature?

[johnson1010]

In this case it seems the parent is the responsible party, but i see what you are getting at, Chris.

A four foot wall should be sufficient, plus the fact there are wild dogs on the other side, to keep adults out. But kids need parents because they don't yet have the sense of adults, and a four foot wall doesn't necessarily represent an impassible barrier to an energetic kid.

I could see problems with momentarily unsupervised kids free-falling to their death, but in this particular instance, no. From what i heard, it was the parent's fault.

[geo]

In this case it seems the parent is the responsible party, but i see what you are getting at, Chris.

A four foot wall should be sufficient, plus the fact there are wild dogs on the other side, to keep adults out. But kids need parents because they don't yet have the sense of adults, and a four foot wall doesn't necessarily represent an impassible barrier to an energetic kid.

I could see problems with momentarily unsupervised kids free-falling to their death, but in this particular instance, no. From what i heard, it was the parent's fault.

Who knows how any one of would have acted in such a situation, but it seems to me the mother or someone should have jumped down immediately to try and save the child.

[johnson1010]

Yeah.

Tough spot thinking about it after the fact, and i'm sure the parent is raking herself over the coals for it.

Like i said, that's a steep price to pay for a few moments of foolishness which could easily have gone another, safe, way.

I would have jumped down and tried to rally the other people there to help me fend off the dogs. But then, this is after having thought about this scenario for a while. It feels like a plan i just came up with, but i've had this in my head for days now. Who knows how it would have gone down in the moment?

Well, i wouldn't have put him on the fence for one.

It's sad. The mother doesn't need people piling on her as well. I'm sure she's beating the hell out of herself every day. I won't speak on this any more. If she ever google searches and comes across this i don't want to pile on her too hard.

She was being foolish, but the price was too high. Too bad all around.

[heledd]

How awful!! Yes it is easy to lay blame. But I can't forget the horror I felt when I took my five year old to see penguins at the zoo. He dropped his camera into the enclosure, and to my horror, clambered in to get it back out again. OK penguins are harmless, but still, it happened so quick

[Mr. P]

I think zoos are horrible anyway. I agree, though, that the zoo is not to blame. People need to take responsibility for their actions and THINK before they do whatever the fuck they want. We think we can always just do what we want because we want to do it. That is what gets people in trouble, and that is when we get crap like lawsuits against businesses and other people that are frivolous. So much pain and sorrow could be avoided if either people would think before they act or the stupidity gets selected out of the species.

At the very least, the gene pool has improved a bit. This is purely the fault of the parent. I NEVER had one of my four kids accidentally get into any dangerous situation. My wife and I were always diligent in keeping them safe when we were out. We did not get distracted and always were responsible. I see so many parents out there that should not be. I agree with one of the other posts...licensing and testing should be mandatory for having children. It is not 'ok' anymore to breed at will. The world is too complex for blind shots.