This Is A Really Horrible Story
By bostonphil
@bostonphil (4459)
United States
November 5, 2012 8:06am CST
Yesterday, a mother brought her two year old son to a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Zoo. She put him on top of the railing to get a better view of the Wild African Dogs. He lost his balance, fell in and died. It is not yet known if he died from the fall or from the attack by the beasts. I hope it was fast and he never knew what hit him.
It is one of those stories that you can not stop thinking about.
The mother made a bad decision. She did not use her common sense and she and her son paid the ultimate price.
We all do that. We all have engaged in risk taking and maybe still do. We often do not use our common sense but, fortunately, most of the time nothing bad happens. We never think that anything bad could happen when we engage in risky behavior until it happens.
Off the top of my head, I am thinking of many persons who text message or use their cell phones while driving. They lose control of the vehicle resulting in a crash, severe in juries and even death to themselves and or others. We all have heard of those stories.
What do you think of this mother who sat her son on a railing to get a better view of the wild dogs?
5 people like this
16 responses
@STOUTjodee (3573)
• United States
5 Nov 12
Usually there are signs at zoos that tell people to keep their children away from the animals and the reasoning is for situations like this. It was very irresponsible of the parent to do this. As you mentioned, maybe she had done this before and nothing ever happened, but this was the time that something did happen. It is unfortunate and a child has lost their life because the parent made a bad choice.
@adforme (2114)
•
6 Nov 12
This happens about every blue moon or so. At one time a child fell in with baboons, he fared better though. One seemed to be looking out for him. At another time there were polar bears. I don't understand how this happens. How close does one need to be. A parent should have better judgement. From what the reports given, the dogs killed the child.
2 people like this
@marguicha (223776)
• Chile
6 Nov 12
It is not the first time I hear about things like that. In fact, just a few days ago, I watched one of those "amazing videos" and there was a man who was attacked by giant pandas at a zoo. I thought (and thing when I hear this story) that people are careless, but also that zoos are badly built. We have two barries
rs in each cage at the zoo in my city. It`s not a great zoo, but it is safe. There are always stupid people (what you told us is more than just being careless), but the people who run zoos must take that into account.
@marguicha (223776)
• Chile
7 Nov 12
I`d have to see how the cage is built. But anyway I agree that the mother was VERY stupid. There are things you just don`t do
@bostonphil (4459)
• United States
7 Nov 12
It was not actually a cage. it was a pit of some kind. The viewing area was very high up and you looked down into a pit. I believe I read that the boy fell 11 stories into the pit.
I think that everyone agrees that the mother was very stupid, at best.
@bostonphil (4459)
• United States
6 Nov 12
I have heard of adults being hurt or killed at zoos but usually they do something stupid like climb in the cage or pen. Sometimes trainers and feeders are injured. It is not the animals at fault because they are wild animals and just behaving like wild animals.
I have never considered that the design of the zoo is at fault. I do not know if the zoo in Pittsburgh could have done more to protect children from their careless mothers. No one who designed or worked at the zoo could have seen this coming.
1 person likes this
@jadoixa (1166)
• Philippines
6 Nov 12
that is really a horrible story, after reading about it, i cannot stop thinking about how it was to see your own child accidentally fell down and got attacked by the wild beasts. that was a mistake of the mother do have put her son on top of the railing, even i would not take such a risk because we never know what could happen next. even when i am on a high place looking down with my kid, i would always make it a point to hold her close and tight and would always be alert about letting them sit, i would never think about letting them sit anywhere near risky and dangerous. sometimes accidents happen when a child moves a lot we can lose control so accidents could happen that they may fall, so we should never go for such risks. we should always be alert and careful when going out in public places and risky areas in handling our own child and children. that is a mistake of the mother, she wasn't alert and careful enough. but the accident already happened and i'm sure this is a trauma that the mother cannot forget for the rest of her life.
2 people like this
@bostonphil (4459)
• United States
6 Nov 12
I am haunted by this story. The mother was very lax. I do not know what ti think. How could she have been so stupid? Not only did she place her son on top of the railing, it appears that she was not holding on to him very well because he lost his balance and fell in the pit.
@Jenniffe (37)
•
6 Nov 12
I am sorry for the mother's lost. Usually there are signs to warn people. Maybe the mother is too careless to sea that. Or may be there is no signs. When we go out , we should pay more attention to the around, especially the mothers, they should awlays keep their eyes on their children.
@bostonphil (4459)
• United States
6 Nov 12
This mother should have been careful in holding her son tightly when she placed him where he did. it is said that he lost his balance. How did he lose his balance?
There must have been many witnesses to what she was doing? Did no one try to talk to her about how dangerous the situation was?
1 person likes this
@edvc77 (2140)
• Philippines
6 Nov 12
That is really horrible. Mothers should really anticipate what is good and bad for their children. Maybe the mother did not anticipate that thing would happen. She must be in sorrow. She did not want it to happen. This is a lesson for all mothers. Thanks for this discussion.
2 people like this
@bostonphil (4459)
• United States
6 Nov 12
Apparently, the mother never did anticipate that such an accident could happen. Most of us never consider the consequences when we make a mistake in judgement.
Thanks for responding to my discussion.
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
5 Nov 12
I realise that we all behave irresponsibly at times, but to be behave so irresponsible when athe safety of a child is at stake is difficult to believe.
The example that you quote concerning the use of a mobile phone while driving is a valid one, but certainly does not compare with the zoo incident. We all do foolish and stupid things at times with total confidence that nothing will go wrong, but we would not drive through a school playground while using a mobile phone.
1 person likes this
@bostonphil (4459)
• United States
7 Nov 12
Me too. I do not know how you forget about your very own child or any child sitting in the back seat of your vehicle when you get out. Didn't you put him or her there? Didn't you look behind or around when you got out of your vehicle? Most people do.
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
8 Nov 12
Hello boston. yes this is a really horrible story. The poor mother probably never expected her son would fall off the railing. The articles that I have read don't say how old the mother is. As a mother I haven't always been aware if some of the things I allowed my small children do was safe for them. Sometime a young mother isn't aware that something so simple can be such a danger because the toddler wiggled more than expected. She should not be demonized for an error in judgment. We are not always as smart as we could or shoyld be..
1 person likes this
@shaggin (72234)
• United States
7 Nov 12
Oh my god that is such a horrible accident. I think the mother was so stupid to put her son up there. She obviously must have set him up there and not held on to him even. I am so sad to hear this. My wonder is why she didnt jump in after him to try to rescue him. That is what I would have done.
1 person likes this
@bostonphil (4459)
• United States
7 Nov 12
One wonders about the situation. How could the mother have been so stupid? Why did she not hold him better? How did he lose his balance?
She could not have jumped in after him because they were looking way down into the animal pen. I believe that I read the fall was the equivalent of 11 stories. I could be wrong with the eleven but the viewing are was very high up looking way down into the pen. It was the equivalent of many stories down which makes it even stranger that the mother would place her son on the railing and not hold him very tightly.
@bostonphil (4459)
• United States
8 Nov 12
We all sometimes make poor judgements. I have and I have had to deal with the consequences. This mother made an extreme error in judgement and the consequences have been extreme as well.
@bostonphil (4459)
• United States
6 Nov 12
The mother was irresponsible, I do not know why she put her son in such a dangerous situation. Like you said, no real mother would do that. It does make me wonder. I do not doubt that there is an investigation going on around her actions.
@jenny1015 (13366)
• Philippines
6 Nov 12
The mother must be out of her mind in doing such a bad move in placing his son in danger. She might mean well in doing that, but that doesn't justify what had happened to her son. Too bad that she could no longer bring back his son to life no matter how sorry she is now.
2 people like this
@jazzyme (113)
• Philippines
7 Nov 12
All mothers want the best for their baby.It is their love that protects their child. But I pity those who are stupid to be lax on letting their child do something that would cause them accident.Because of her stupidity she lost her beloved child.She learned her lesson the hard way.
1 person likes this
@bostonphil (4459)
• United States
7 Nov 12
It is a lesson that she will have to live with forever. Everyone makes mistakes and all of us have to learn from our mistakes but this mistake cost the mother her son. How horrible!
@Sindelle (824)
• United States
5 Nov 12
I couldn't imagine watching my child get killed in such a brutal way. Especially knowing that it was my fault. She'll probably be going to years of counseling after that. What she did was very irresponsible and I can only hope the child didnt suffer. Did the story say anything about what the mother will be charged with? I would imagine she'd get at least charged with child endangerment.
2 people like this
@bostonphil (4459)
• United States
5 Nov 12
The story did not give very much information. I am wondering if the mother will be charged with neglect or child endangerment. It could be that prosecutors decide not to charge her at all if it was just a terrible accident.
Probably, this woman will suffer for many years to come, maybe forever. If she is married to the father of the child, I wonder if the marriage will survive.
1 person likes this
@kenzie45230 (3560)
• United States
6 Nov 12
If she's this irresponsible, I'd want the authorities to take away any other children she might have. Mothers should never put their young at risk.
1 person likes this
@bostonphil (4459)
• United States
26 Nov 12
It is one every sad story. This woman will never forget hr mistake. She has to live with her actions forever.
