The Interpreter Posted April 12, 2015 Posted April 12, 2015 After Mom had allegedly held him over the railing and dropped him. Charges expected: http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0N301N20150412?irpc=932 None of the cats approached him! 4 Quote
Browntggrr Posted April 12, 2015 Posted April 12, 2015 I can only hope this story & soon to be charges go viral scaring future parents from having a similar brain fart. I also hope the charges remain a summary & small fine. 2 Quote
The Interpreter Posted April 12, 2015 Author Posted April 12, 2015 Unless it is determined the mother intentionally dropped the tot, which is not beyond the realm of possibility. 1 Quote
Joncars05 Posted April 12, 2015 Posted April 12, 2015 Good thing they fed the cheetahs earlier that day!!! HAHA In all seriousness I'm glad the kid is okay. My guess is the mom is not in the running for the 2015 mother of the year award 2 Quote
APE Posted April 12, 2015 Posted April 12, 2015 If I were the powers that be I would be calling into question her ability to care for her child or children for the future. 4 Quote
Oldiesmann Posted April 12, 2015 Posted April 12, 2015 It's getting national attention from many major news sources (Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, Huffington Post, etc.), so hopefully other parents will think twice before doing stupid things like this. I'm glad to see the zoo taking such a serious stance on this. 2 Quote
The Interpreter Posted April 12, 2015 Author Posted April 12, 2015 This is at least the second such incident in recent memory. Another was, if memory serves, in Pennsylvania. 1 Quote
upstop Posted April 13, 2015 Posted April 13, 2015 http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://tstofriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Spucklers.jpg&imgrefurl=http://tstofriends.com/tag/how-to-unlock-spuckler-brood-on-simpsons-tapped-out/&h=778&w=990&tbnid=ADbZzidjhUp60M:&zoom=1&q=the+spucklers+from+the+simpsons&docid=fxthEK0bk3khaM&ei=RCIrVaxsw9WgBOLQgeAI&tbm=isch&client=ms-android-verizon&ved=0CEUQMygeMB4 Quote
Dieseltech20 Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 Turns out the Mother is an Assistant Director at a child care facility. She is currently on a Leave of Absence. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3037711/Mother-charged-child-endangerment-dropping-son-cheetah-pit-CHILDCARE-WORKER.html 4 Quote
APE Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 Can't trust her with her own kid I wouldn't trust her to be within a mile of mine. 7 Quote
The Interpreter Posted April 14, 2015 Author Posted April 14, 2015 As awful as it sounds, I still say there is a possibility this was not an accident. 5 Quote
APE Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 My thoughts on that is if this is an accident then why did the parent jump in the save the kid. If it wasn't an accident I would think they would just stand to the side and scream in horror. 2 Quote
westcoaster Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 This was a shocking story just hard to pondeR what was going on with the Mom. 2 Quote
faeriewench Posted April 14, 2015 Posted April 14, 2015 None of the cats approached him!Often times, of the big cats, the Cheetahs tend to be more "docile" (term used loosely as they can have an attitude) compared to lions or tigers. Now if you go around a cheetah (or a lion, or a tiger or even a bobcat or a serval) just making a bunch of high pitched noises then well....good luck as high pitched noises to them is a distress call at times. Go to Lunch?Faerie wench, who has witnessed bobcats and servals go into predatory mode just by hearing a crying human baby on the television before 5 Quote
Browntggrr Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 People make mistakes. As of right now, given her & the father's reaction of immediately jumping into the enclosure, there is no reason to believe this is anything but an innocent (and INCREDIBLY stupid) mistake. We have all made boneheaded decisions at some point, especially dealing with kids. Difference being our mistake(s) typically don't make national headlines. 2 Quote
Magenta Lizard Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 I remember a couple years ago after another incident of a child ending up in a zoo enclosure, that someone (who works in a zoo) mentioned on another message board I frequent that it is not uncommon for parents to lift small children up onto the tops of protective barriers to sit or stand so they can "see the animals". It's a real problem for zoos: to figure out ways to keep people and animals safe; and let patrons see the animals they came to see; and save people from their own stupidity. For the final part, it often takes more than one "layer" of barriers between people and animals. 2 Quote
jcgoble3 Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 Obvious solution: Make the protective barrier transparent, so that small children don't need to see over the barrier. Lexan bulletproof plastic would be perfect. Am I missing something here? 2 Quote
Magenta Lizard Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 The wide variety of human stupidity, I think Yeah, it was transparent barriers the parents lifted their children to the tops of. If you don't have bare eyes on the animals it's like watching them on TV I guess. 3 Quote
Browntggrr Posted April 15, 2015 Posted April 15, 2015 That is an inexcusable mistake.No it's not.Dumb? Certainly. Inexcuseable? Other than dropping the child with malicious intent, it is a dumb mistake. Let it be a learning experience for others. "Inexcusable" suggests the mother should lose her rights as a parent and at this point the punishment does not fit the crime. 2 Quote
APE Posted April 16, 2015 Posted April 16, 2015 If you're dumb enough to lift your child over a railing and dangle them over an enclosure with animals that could very easily kill the kid if the fall doesn't that shows such a severe lack of common sense that I don't think she deserves her kid(s). That person is completely F'en stupid. I'm not perfect but I'm obviously not dumb enough to make a mistake to that level. 5 Quote
Browntggrr Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 Did she "dangle" the child over the enclosure (like Michael Jackson did many years ago at a hotel) or did she lift the child above a railing and lost control? There is a significant difference between the two. One being malicious, the other- not so much. 2 Quote
Browntggrr Posted April 17, 2015 Posted April 17, 2015 http://www.times-standard.com//opinion/20130804/lets-face-it-common-sense-is-not-a-common-thing 4 Quote
The Interpreter Posted April 17, 2015 Author Posted April 17, 2015 And thus why an investigation... 4 Quote
Oldiesmann Posted April 19, 2015 Posted April 19, 2015 Obvious solution: Make the protective barrier transparent, so that small children don't need to see over the barrier. Lexan bulletproof plastic would be perfect. Am I missing something here? No you're not. That's sort of what the Cincinnati Zoo has done with their Cat Canyon exhibit: (Image from the Cat Canyon blog: http://blog.cincinnatizoo.org/2014/08/01/a-roaring-success/kids-with-tiger-crissi-lanier/) More info on the exhibit: http://cincinnatizoo.org/plan-your-visit/exhibits/cat-canyon/ 4 Quote
Browntggrr Posted April 19, 2015 Posted April 19, 2015 So were those shirts planned for a pic in this discussion? Incredibly ironic! 8 Quote
faeriewench Posted April 20, 2015 Posted April 20, 2015 Obvious solution: Make the protective barrier transparent, so that small children don't need to see over the barrier. Lexan bulletproof plastic would be perfect.Am I missing something here? That's basically what the Indianapolis zoo uses on a lot of their exhibits. Siegfried & Roy Secret Garden has literally multiple barriers when viewing the big cats including really tall fencing. Only thing you have to worry about at the Secret Garden is when one of the cats decide they want to claim you as their property... so you run away when a tail is raised your direction as they got good aim right through the fences. 3 Quote
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