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Thread: Maddox Derkosh (2) killed by African wild dog pack at Pittsburgh Zoo

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    Senior Member Morbid_much's Avatar
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    Maddox Derkosh (2) killed by African wild dog pack at Pittsburgh Zoo

    A small boy has died after falling into an enclosure of African wild dogs at a zoo in the US city of Pittsburgh.

    The child, said to have been aged about three, had been on an outing with his mother when he fell over a railing and off a mesh barrier into the exhibit.

    Zoo keepers called off most of the 11 dogs, but one refused to move away from the boy and was shot dead.

    The zoo was closed after the incident, and an investigation by the police and the zoo is under way.

    "It is with great sadness and very, very heavy hearts that we report today that a small child was killed by our African painted dog pack this morning," head of the zoo, Barbara Baker, told a news conference.

    She said it was clear the dogs had attacked the boy, but that "whether he died of the attack or the fall has yet to be determined".


    No decision had been made about the future of the enclosure, she said.

    African painted dogs, also known as African wild dogs, are an endangered species. They are the size of medium domestic dogs and hunt in packs.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20200043



    I can't imagine the pain the mom must be feeling.

    I wonder how he managed to fall over. Poor kid.
    Last edited by nestlequikie; 11-16-2012 at 02:48 AM. Reason: To add victim's name to thread title
    If it hadn't been for Cotton-Eye Joe
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    Senior Member Just Me's Avatar
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    I also read on MSNBC that they had to shoot one of the dogs because it wouldn't leave the kids body when the other dogs did

    "When the boy fell, other visitors immediately told staff members, who responded along with Pittsburgh police. Zookeepers called off the dogs, and seven of them immediately went to a back building. Three more eventually were drawn away from the boy, but the last dog wouldn't come into the building, and police had to shoot him, Baker said."

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    Senior Member morbidT's Avatar
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    Oh man. No words right now.

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    Riotous Defective snowfallsoon's Avatar
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    Poor kid

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    Senior Member Artemis's Avatar
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    I'll keep my opinion far far away. Gorgeous creatures though. Off to read about them.
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    Riotous Defective snowfallsoon's Avatar
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    How did that even happen??

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    Sana sana colita de rana beli's Avatar
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    i don't think the kid just simply fell in.
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    Riotous Defective snowfallsoon's Avatar
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    "PITTSBURGH (AP) — A 2-year-old boy visiting the Pittsburgh zoo was killed Sunday when he fell off a railing that his mother had put him on top of to view a pack of African painted dogs, who pounced on the child and mauled him, police said.
    It was not clear whether the boy died from the 11-foot fall into the wild dog exhibit area or from the attack, said Barbara Baker, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium.

    "It was very horrific," said Lt. Kevin Kraus of the Pittsburgh police, who added that the dogs attacked "immediately" after the boy's fall.

    When the boy fell, other visitors immediately told staff members, who responded along with Pittsburgh police. Zookeepers called off some of the dogs, and seven of them immediately went to a back building. Three more eventually were drawn away from the child, but the last dog was aggressive and police had to shoot the animal, officials say.

    The zoo was closed, and it was not clear when it would be reopen, authorities said.

    Authorities didn't immediately release the name of the boy or his mother, but say she is 34-years old and lives in Pleasant Hills, just outside Pittsburgh. The boy's father arrived on the scene soon after the accident, police said."

    The dogs are about as big as medium-sized domestic dogs, 2 to 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.

    The dogs normally live in a 1.5 acre exhibit called the Painted Dog Bush Camp that's part of a larger open area called the African Savanna, where elephants, lions and other animals can be seen. Visitors walk onto a deck that is glassed on the sides, but open in front where the railing is located. Visitors can look out at the dogs below.

    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.

    In May, some of the dogs crawled under a fence and escaped into a part of the exhibit that's usually closed. The zoo was on lockdown for about an hour as a precaution.

    Police and the Allegheny County medical examiner's office are investigating. Baker said the zoo, which has never had a visitor death, will also investigate. She said no decision has been made yet on the future of the exhibit.

    Ten African painted dogs were born at the zoo in 2009, and their mother died of a ruptured uterus shortly after delivering the litter. Five of the pups survived. The mortality rate for painted pups is 50 percent, even when born in the wild to a healthy mother.

    It was only the second litter to be hand-raised in captivity, along with one in the United Kingdom, zoo officials said at the time."

    http://m.usatoday.com/article/news/1681645
    Last edited by snowfallsoon; 11-04-2012 at 04:21 PM.

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    Member CorgiKid's Avatar
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    I don't like the phrasing in the article that they don't know what they're going to do about the dogs/ exhibit. As far as I'm concerned they were doing exactly what their instincts tell them to do. I feel sorry for this woman as this would be absolutely horrible to go through. But there are tons of signs and common sense warnings to putting your kids on a rail over a pack of wild animals.

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    Senior Member pinkhair4me's Avatar
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    Another case where human thoughtlessness causes law-enforcement to kill an endangered animal. Damn.

    That being said, I feel for the mother even though this is her fault. How could she live with herself? She probably loved her boy as much as any mom here, but one mistake... one stupid, idiotic misstep and now this. Damn shame.

    Imagine being a first responder to THAT scene.

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    Senior Member Artemis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by happy phantom View Post
    Another case where human thoughtlessness causes law-enforcement to kill an endangered animal. Damn.
    Yep.
    Quote Originally Posted by Seraphim View Post
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    Senior Member morbidT's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by happy phantom View Post
    Another case where human thoughtlessness causes law-enforcement to kill an endangered animal. Damn.

    That being said, I feel for the mother even though this is her fault. How could she live with herself? She probably loved her boy as much as any mom here, but one mistake... one stupid, idiotic misstep and now this. Damn shame.

    Imagine being a first responder to THAT scene.
    Do not want. Farm machinery is bad enough.

    And, so true on the rest of your post.

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    Senior Member rachy's Avatar
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    Pittsburgh zoo official: Child, 2, killed by African painted dog mauling, not fall

    PITTSBURGH — The president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, Barbara Baker, released more details Monday into the tragic death of a 2-year-old boy who fell into an African spotted dog exhibit Sunday.
    Investigators said Maddox Derkosh’s mother had lifted him onto a railing on a deck for the exhibit housing 11 of the wild dogs. According to witness accounts, Derkosh fell and landed on protective netting and bounced two times before landing in the exhibit.

    "What we understand from the medical examiner's report, the child did not die from the fall. The child was mauled by the dogs," said Baker. "The child initially was caught by the netting. From witness accounts the child was so small that he bounced, then he bounced twice and then bounced into the exhibit."

    Rachel Majcher, who lives next door to Maddox’s family, said the boy was Elizabeth and Jason Derkosh’s only child.

    “As a mom, I can’t imagine this tragedy. Your heart stops when your kid skins their knee, I can’t imagine what she’s going through,” Majcher said.

    Majcher said he children enjoyed playing with Derkosh.

    “He was a cute little guy with light hair and red glasses. Every time we were in the back or front yard, my little boy would get so excited to see him,” Majcher said. “The hardest part is going to be explaining to my kids that their playmate is no longer here.”

    During a news conference Monday, Baker fought back tears as she discussed the incident.

    "The zoo feels terrible about this tragic accident that happened. It's your worst nightmare as a zoo professional," Baker said.

    When Derkosh fell, other visitors immediately told staff members, who responded along with Pittsburgh police, officials said.

    Baker said trained staff members responded to the exhibit seconds after Derkosh fell in. She said it was immediately determined that it was too dangerous to physically send anyone in.

    "It was too dangerous for staff to go in. It was determined immediately that it was not going to help. It was too late. There was no reason to send our staff into harm's way, nor is it our policy to send staff into harm's way," Baker said.

    Zookeepers said they called off the dogs, and seven of them immediately went to a back building. Three more eventually were drawn away from Derkosh, but the last dog wouldn't come into the building, and police had to shoot him, Baker said.

    Baker said the dog that was shot was not near Derkosh when police arrived; however, emergency personal needed to get into the exhibit to rescue him, which is why the shooting was necessary.

    "We allowed them, at our direction, to shoot the dog. At that particular time the dog was not near the child but we needed to get to the child. While we are not happy about that (but) we understand that it had to happen," said Baker.

    Police and the Allegheny County medical examiner's office are investigating. Baker said the zoo, which has never had a visitor death, plans an internal investigation. The exhibit is expected to be closed for the winter and the animals have been placed in quarantine. Baker said none of the dogs will be euthanized.

    "Life is full of risk. There is no fail-proof part of life. We do everything we possibly can and we evaluate it every day, the safety of our visitors and our staff as well," Baker said. "We work with wild and dangerous animals every single day. There is no such thing as a fail-proof exhibit."

    Majcher said she saw Elizabeth and Jason Derkosh walking together in the neighborhood, leaning on each other.

    "I just hope this very close community can come together and support the family through this," Majcher said.

    The dogs normally live in a 1.5-acre exhibit called the Painted Dog Bush Camp that's part of a larger open area called the African Savanna, where elephants, lions and other animals can be seen.

    In May, some of the dogs crawled under a fence and escaped into a part of the exhibit that's usually closed. The zoo was on lockdown for about an hour as a precaution.

    Ten African painted dogs were born at the zoo in 2009, and their mother died of a ruptured uterus shortly after delivering the litter. Five of the pups survived. The mortality rate for painted pups is 50 percent, even when born in the wild to a healthy mother.

    It was only the second litter to be hand-raised in captivity, along with one in the United Kingdom, zoo officials said at the time.

    The zoo is scheduled to reopen on Tuesday.

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

    R.I.P Maddox

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    Riotous Defective snowfallsoon's Avatar
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    What a cute little boy.

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    Moderator bowieluva's Avatar
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    Too bad his mom was a fucking moron.

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    Certified Grumple Bottoms Ron_NYC's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Just Me View Post
    I also read on MSNBC that they had to shoot one of the dogs because it wouldn't leave the kids body when the other dogs did

    "When the boy fell, other visitors immediately told staff members, who responded along with Pittsburgh police. Zookeepers called off the dogs, and seven of them immediately went to a back building. Three more eventually were drawn away from the boy, but the last dog wouldn't come into the building, and police had to shoot him, Baker said."
    I'm sure people will be good and angry over this part of the story.
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    Moderator bowieluva's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ron_NYC View Post
    I'm sure people will be good and angry over this part of the story.
    Well, yeah. The animal is endangered and where it belongs, and the mother came and dangled her kid carelessly. The kid fell in. This is human error. The dog was just acting on predatory instinct. Very sad for the baby.

    At the same time, human babies aren't endangered.

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    Certified Grumple Bottoms Ron_NYC's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    Well, yeah. The animal is endangered and where it belongs, and the mother came and dangled her kid carelessly. The kid fell in. This is human error. The dog was just acting on predatory instinct. Very sad for the baby.

    At the same time, human babies aren't endangered.
    A kid died. That's the first part of the story. That is sad and upsetting. But if you continue reading and get REALLY outraged over the animal dying, I'm giving you the side eye.

    I don't feel broken up about it in the least, but I can understand where some people may. If someone is more emotional over the animal though I just don't get em.
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    Ron was the best part, hands down.

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    Moderator bowieluva's Avatar
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    I think both deaths are tragic, senseless, and avoidable.

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    Certified Grumple Bottoms Ron_NYC's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    I think both deaths are tragic, senseless, and avoidable.
    I can agree with that.


    Just that the kid dying is 1,000x worse
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    Ron was the best part, hands down.

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    Yeah, the kid was put in a bad place. They described the 'railing' as being 4 ft tall and sloped towards the outside of the exhibit about 45 degrees. I mean, yeah we pick up our kids to let them see things but my god.

    I dont think blaming the animal is fair, i think the mother is more at fault than anyone but im pretty sure she is already beating herself up tremendously over this.

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    Senior Member xxStarryxxEyedxx's Avatar
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    Ten bucks says the Mommy will be meeting with a lawyer (if she hasn't already) to sue the zoo for not securing the area properly. "Look how easily I double bounced my kid in there! This was definitely an accident waiting to happen!"

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    Senior Member rachy's Avatar
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    Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
    4 minutes ago


    The hearts of our Zoo family go out to the victim and family involved in yesterday's tragedy. Please just keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

    https://www.facebook.com/pghzoo

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    Senior Member sarabei's Avatar
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    The mother was a moron, pure and simple. Bowie and others have stated how I feel perfectly. I can't even imagine.....I just can't muster too much sympathy for this mother...I mean damn...common sense people...COMMON SENSE! Poor kiddo was cute though. I had hoped the fall killed him...Now I just hope he was unconscious at the time. :(

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    Riotous Defective snowfallsoon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by xxStarryxxEyedxx View Post
    Ten bucks says the Mommy will be meeting with a lawyer (if she hasn't already) to sue the zoo for not securing the area properly. "Look how easily I double bounced my kid in there! This was definitely an accident waiting to happen!"
    There will definitely be a lawsuit, and the zoo will pay. Even though I don't think the zoo did anything wrong.

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