Life 2-year-old mauled to death by wild dogs after falling into Pittsburgh Zoo exhibit - Page 4

Deberg_1990 · 11-05-2012, 09:18 AM

Wow...horrible. RIP

A 2-year-old boy was mauled to death today after falling into the African painted dog exhibit at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium.

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.

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

Zoo President and Chief Executive Officer Barbara Baker said at a news conference shortly after the incident that the child fell over the wooden railing and off of a mesh barrier where the painted dogs were on display. A zoo spokeswoman and police said the wooden railing is 4 feet in height and the lower mesh barrier is 11 feet 4 inches above the open exhibit space.

Lt. Kraus said zoo personnel responded within minutes. The first personnel on scene were able to lure seven of the dogs away from the victim and into a secure and separated area. A second set of personnel began "throwing objects and some other techniques that they use" to secure three more dogs.

He said the final dog, which was acting very aggressively toward the victim and zoo personnel, was shot multiple times by two Pittsburgh police officers and died.

Lt. Kraus said none of the people who observed the child fall into the enclosure made an attempt to go after him. The news release from zoo officials noted that keepers attempted to enter the yard but were unable to reach the child.

One ineffective technique used by zoo personnel to lure the animals away from the child was to fire "dummy tranquilizer rounds," Lt. Kraus said.

Information released from the zoo indicated that "unfortunately, the dogs were in pack mentality and not responding."

The child was pronounced dead at the scene 12 p.m.

The incident is under investigation by police and the zoo. Lt. Kraus said it would be inappropriate to speculate on potential charges at this time and the bureau will continue to investigate to determine if anything could have been prevented.

Police said the boy and his mother are from Pleasant Hills and were visiting the zoo with relatives, an adult and another child, at the time of the incident.

Ms. Cinti described a horrifying scene that lasted a little more than 5 minutes but seemed like hours.

"We were on our way to the polar bear exhibit when we heard the most horrible piercing screams. ... Someone was begging for help, asking someone to do something," she said. The couple ran back in the direction they came from, passing the bear exhibits. The screams continued.

As they reached the painted dog exhibit, she saw a small crowd of distressed onlookers. "One woman with a baby in the stroller was screaming that someone needed to do something," Ms. Cinti said. She said she could see the little boy's apparently lifeless body lying on the hill inside the exhibit. "There were three dogs: one at his head, one on the left side of his neck and another one down by his leg. ... A [zoo employee] got there and hopped over a fence with a rake and he was banging ... trying to distract the dogs but they wouldn't move," she said.

Ms. Cinti, a student at Community College of Allegheny County, tracked the time frame with her cell phone, saying she made a call at 11:49 a.m. when she and her boyfriend first headed toward the commotion. She said her cell phone shows that the call was ended five minutes and five seconds later, when a half-dozen zoo employees arrived and dispersed the crowd.

Bart DePasquale, who was at the zoo today with his two children for a birthday party, was near the tiger exhibit when he heard screams coming from the direction of the African painted dogs exhibit.

"People were yelling 'Get away,' and 'Stay away,' and it wasn't just one person, it was an entire group of people," said Mr. DePasquale, 29, of Fox Chapel. "The screams sounded heavily distressed and the people were using profanity. They were shouting to zoo employees."

Mr. DePasquale and Ms. Cinti said they were told to go inside the nearest buildings where they were kept there for about a half hour.

"We were locked down in the building and told to stay inside. ... We thought it was a problem with one of the animals that got loose. Then we were told it was an incident with the wild dogs and that a child had been hurt."

When patrons were told the zoo was closed and they needed to leave, Mr. DePasquale said, "On the way out, I saw a mother who was distressed and crying and other people who couldn't even talk about it. ... People and anyone who had been close were almost in tears, were walking out glassy-eyed. That's when multiple people told me the dogs attacked a young child."

Ms. Baker said the zoo initially declared a "code blue," meaning an accident involving a human had occurred. That was followed with a "code red," meaning that there was a serious human emergency.

Ms. Baker said no decision has been made about the future of the exhibit.

The African painted dog exhibit debuted after the October 2009 birth of the pups. A surrogate mutt was drafted into service for the nine pups after their natural mother died of a ruptured uterus. In the spring of this year, nine of the 11 painted dogs escaped a section of their enclosure causing a brief shutdown of the zoo.

Ms. Baker said at that time on May 5 that the dogs got into a 1.5-acre "backup yard" not visible to the public, but the dogs were not out of their exhibit.

African painted dogs are an endangered species.

In September, the zoo announced that it had again been accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums after a review of its animal care, veterinary programs, conservation, education and safety.

AZA is a nonprofit organization with a team of professionals that inspect and review each zoo or aquarium seeking accreditation. Currently 224 facilities have been recognized and approved by the organization, including eight in Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh zoo has been recognized by AZA since 1986.The accreditation commission evaluates every zoo and aquarium to determine if they meet accepted standards for safety policies and procedures, security, physical facilities, animal management and care, health and nutrition, veterinary programs, involvement in conservation and research and education programs.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/...#ixzz2BMUJWMyp

Frazod · 11-05-2012, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

We could use some of that attitude on our defense.

Or at least feed Cassel and Pioli to them.

frankotank · 11-05-2012, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aturnis

B/c I'd really be able to move on and live my life knowing I did nothing and watched my son die b/c I was a phuqtard? I'd rather be dead.

Maybe you should have a kid, then share your opinion.

I'm with Aturnis on this one. I'd have to jump in....I'd have to. they aren't the biggest dogs. I know a pack of them could take a man....but maybe a bigger target, a man not a boy, would have changed things. maybe a full grown man could have kicked the shit out of a few of them and drove them off. dude....if it was your kid....you'd jump in. it's just like that.

Aspengc8 · 11-05-2012, 11:24 AM

No one tried to help? Even if it was stupid of the lady to put the kid up there, I would have grabbed the first 5 men I saw and jumped in to help.

Brock · 11-05-2012, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankotank

I'm with Aturnis on this one. I'd have to jump in....I'd have to. they aren't the biggest dogs. I know a pack of them could take a man....but maybe a bigger target, a man not a boy, would have changed things. maybe a full grown man could have kicked the shit out of a few of them and drove them off. dude....if it was your kid....you'd jump in. it's just like that.

Yeah, probably. If it were my kid he wouldn't end up in a pit with wild dogs, though.

frankotank · 11-05-2012, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by COchief

I checked the wiki also as I had never heard of them and figured they were small enough for an adult to jump in and start kicking them in the head. They are 40-80 lbs and supposedly have a bite power second only to the hellish Tazmanian Devil. No way anyone was stopping that party. The mother will suffer for this for the rest of her idiotic life, how do you leave a 2 year old standing on it's own on a ledge with 10 wolves lying in wait?

She should have been tossed in as well as a stupid dessert for the pack.

well shit....

**Old Dog** · 11-05-2012, 11:25 AM

The way everyone wants to "jump in and save him" it sounds like if we could bring in a pack of these we could clear out a whole lot of stupid

Imon Yourside · 11-05-2012, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankotank

well shit....

I still would have jumped in, You don't let your kids outlive you if you have a say in it.

**Old Dog** · 11-05-2012, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KILLER_CLOWN

I still would have jumped in, You don't let your kids outlive you if you have a say in it.

You should be smater than to stand him on the rail at the ****ing zoo and let him dangle him like a steak, but that didn't happen here.

Aspengc8 · 11-05-2012, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KILLER_CLOWN

I still would have jumped in, You don't let your kids outlive you if you have a say in it.

All it would of took is 1 adult to jump down and try and fight the dogs off. More would have jumped in after that. Not to mention the dogs arent scared of a 2 year old, but a grown adult is much bigger and might have scared them off.

frankotank · 11-05-2012, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KILLER_CLOWN

I still would have jumped in, You don't let your kids outlive you if you have a say in it.

yup. I'd do anything for my kids. we may both die, but some of those dogs are gonna taste some boot.
damn what a horrible frigging deal.

yes that mother is a tard....but damn dude, she's gotta live with that...her damn fault. I wouldn't wish that on Casshole....

**QuikSsurfer** · 11-05-2012, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KILLER_CLOWN

I still would have jumped in, You don't let your kids outlive you if you have a say in it.

You're pretty hardcore.

ThaVirus · 11-05-2012, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aturnis

Cannot let that happen. Idiot parent. I would jump in after my son. No doubt. He's the only thing worth anything in this world when it comes down to it. I would gladly huddle my body around his and let them eat me alive if it gave response teams time to get him out alive...

**** all that. I'm jumping in and kicking some painted dog ass.

Imon Yourside · 11-05-2012, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuikSsurfer

You're pretty hardcore.

Do you have kids? I'm fairly certain any parent (that should be one) would agree with me.

I've already saved my sons life once, although I didn't have to fight anything. My son fell into our Pool at the age of 2 before we opened it, about half full of water and extremely cold. Needless to say all it cost me was a $70 pair of shoes.

**Old Dog** · 11-05-2012, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KILLER_CLOWN

Do you have kids? I'm fairly certain any parent (that should be one) would agree with me.

My son fell into our Pool at the age of 2 before we opened it

I have two grown children and three grandchildren and I'm fairly certain you're an idiot.

How did a two year old get into your pool? Sounds like some solid parenting was in play there.

**QuikSsurfer** · 11-05-2012, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KILLER_CLOWN

Do you have kids? I'm fairly certain any parent (that should be one) would agree with me.

Maybe I misunderstood --- "You don't let your kid outlive you if you have a say in it"
Wouldn't your kin typically outlive you?

11-05-2012, 09:18 AM
Deberg_1990 In Search of a Life Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Tx. Casino cash: $124454	2-year-old mauled to death by wild dogs after falling into Pittsburgh Zoo exhibit Wow...horrible. RIP A 2-year-old boy was mauled to death today after falling into the African painted dog exhibit at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium. 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. The incident occurred at 11:48 a.m. at the Highland Park complex, according to an emergency dispatch supervisor. The zoo was shut down within a half-hour of the incident and will remain closed indefinitely. Zoo President and Chief Executive Officer Barbara Baker said at a news conference shortly after the incident that the child fell over the wooden railing and off of a mesh barrier where the painted dogs were on display. A zoo spokeswoman and police said the wooden railing is 4 feet in height and the lower mesh barrier is 11 feet 4 inches above the open exhibit space. Lt. Kraus said zoo personnel responded within minutes. The first personnel on scene were able to lure seven of the dogs away from the victim and into a secure and separated area. A second set of personnel began "throwing objects and some other techniques that they use" to secure three more dogs. He said the final dog, which was acting very aggressively toward the victim and zoo personnel, was shot multiple times by two Pittsburgh police officers and died. Lt. Kraus said none of the people who observed the child fall into the enclosure made an attempt to go after him. The news release from zoo officials noted that keepers attempted to enter the yard but were unable to reach the child. One ineffective technique used by zoo personnel to lure the animals away from the child was to fire "dummy tranquilizer rounds," Lt. Kraus said. Information released from the zoo indicated that "unfortunately, the dogs were in pack mentality and not responding." The child was pronounced dead at the scene 12 p.m. The incident is under investigation by police and the zoo. Lt. Kraus said it would be inappropriate to speculate on potential charges at this time and the bureau will continue to investigate to determine if anything could have been prevented. Police said the boy and his mother are from Pleasant Hills and were visiting the zoo with relatives, an adult and another child, at the time of the incident. Ms. Cinti described a horrifying scene that lasted a little more than 5 minutes but seemed like hours. "We were on our way to the polar bear exhibit when we heard the most horrible piercing screams. ... Someone was begging for help, asking someone to do something," she said. The couple ran back in the direction they came from, passing the bear exhibits. The screams continued. As they reached the painted dog exhibit, she saw a small crowd of distressed onlookers. "One woman with a baby in the stroller was screaming that someone needed to do something," Ms. Cinti said. She said she could see the little boy's apparently lifeless body lying on the hill inside the exhibit. "There were three dogs: one at his head, one on the left side of his neck and another one down by his leg. ... A [zoo employee] got there and hopped over a fence with a rake and he was banging ... trying to distract the dogs but they wouldn't move," she said. Ms. Cinti, a student at Community College of Allegheny County, tracked the time frame with her cell phone, saying she made a call at 11:49 a.m. when she and her boyfriend first headed toward the commotion. She said her cell phone shows that the call was ended five minutes and five seconds later, when a half-dozen zoo employees arrived and dispersed the crowd. Bart DePasquale, who was at the zoo today with his two children for a birthday party, was near the tiger exhibit when he heard screams coming from the direction of the African painted dogs exhibit. "People were yelling 'Get away,' and 'Stay away,' and it wasn't just one person, it was an entire group of people," said Mr. DePasquale, 29, of Fox Chapel. "The screams sounded heavily distressed and the people were using profanity. They were shouting to zoo employees." Mr. DePasquale and Ms. Cinti said they were told to go inside the nearest buildings where they were kept there for about a half hour. "We were locked down in the building and told to stay inside. ... We thought it was a problem with one of the animals that got loose. Then we were told it was an incident with the wild dogs and that a child had been hurt." When patrons were told the zoo was closed and they needed to leave, Mr. DePasquale said, "On the way out, I saw a mother who was distressed and crying and other people who couldn't even talk about it. ... People and anyone who had been close were almost in tears, were walking out glassy-eyed. That's when multiple people told me the dogs attacked a young child." Ms. Baker said the zoo initially declared a "code blue," meaning an accident involving a human had occurred. That was followed with a "code red," meaning that there was a serious human emergency. Ms. Baker said no decision has been made about the future of the exhibit. The African painted dog exhibit debuted after the October 2009 birth of the pups. A surrogate mutt was drafted into service for the nine pups after their natural mother died of a ruptured uterus. In the spring of this year, nine of the 11 painted dogs escaped a section of their enclosure causing a brief shutdown of the zoo. Ms. Baker said at that time on May 5 that the dogs got into a 1.5-acre "backup yard" not visible to the public, but the dogs were not out of their exhibit. African painted dogs are an endangered species. In September, the zoo announced that it had again been accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums after a review of its animal care, veterinary programs, conservation, education and safety. AZA is a nonprofit organization with a team of professionals that inspect and review each zoo or aquarium seeking accreditation. Currently 224 facilities have been recognized and approved by the organization, including eight in Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh zoo has been recognized by AZA since 1986.The accreditation commission evaluates every zoo and aquarium to determine if they meet accepted standards for safety policies and procedures, security, physical facilities, animal management and care, health and nutrition, veterinary programs, involvement in conservation and research and education programs. Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/...#ixzz2BMUJWMyp
Posts: 68,658

11-05-2012, 11:24 AM	#48
Aspengc8 Veteran Join Date: Dec 2005 Casino cash: $9950632	No one tried to help? Even if it was stupid of the lady to put the kid up there, I would have grabbed the first 5 men I saw and jumped in to help.
Posts: 2,816

11-05-2012, 11:25 AM	#51
Old Dog Supporter Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: North Central Kansas Casino cash: $2460201	The way everyone wants to "jump in and save him" it sounds like if we could bring in a pack of these we could clear out a whole lot of stupid
Posts: 10,769

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