A two-year-old boy was tragically mauled to death by a pack of ravenous African wild dogs after he fell from a railing that his mother had placed him on to observe the animals at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium.
Despite desperate rescue efforts from zookeepers and armed police officers, the 11 aggressive dogs continued their savage attack on the child, who was from Pleasant Hills, Pittsburgh.
Although zookeepers fired tranquilizer darts and a police officer shot and killed one of the endangered African painted dogs, rescuers were unfortunately unable to reach the boy in time.
The incident occurred around 11:45 am on Sunday when the boy fell over a railing and off a mesh barrier where the dogs were on display.
His mother, aged 34, who had taken him to the zoo, watched in horror as the dogs attacked her son.
Authorities are still investigating whether the boy succumbed to injuries from the 11-foot fall or from the attack itself.
While zookeepers managed to drive away seven of the dogs, which are somewhat smaller than Labrador retrievers, the remaining dogs could not be deterred. Known for their strength and fearlessness, these dogs are notorious for teaming up on lions in the wild and taking down buffaloes and wildebeests.
Employees pounded on the railings of the dogs’ pen and shouted to scare them off, but their efforts proved ineffective. A flurry of darts also failed to drive the dogs back.
Upon the police’s arrival, one particularly aggressive dog refused to retreat and continued to attack the boy, resulting in it being shot dead by an officer.
According to zoo officials, there exists a mesh barrier beyond the railing; however, Lt. Kraus noted that it was intended to catch small items like cameras, not to prevent human entry.
Investigators have yet to ascertain the exact cause of death, he mentioned.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office indicated that the boy’s name would be withheld until later today.
At the time of the attack, the boy and his mother were accompanied by relatives – another adult and a child.
Authorities stated that the boy’s father arrived shortly after the incident, and both parents are currently receiving medication to cope with the shock.
The zoo is closed, and it is unclear when it will reopen, according to officials.
‘The screams just kept coming: “Someone help. Someone has to do something,” witness Angela Cinti, 20, who was at the zoo with her boyfriend remarked.
‘We heard the most horrifying piercing screams while we were headed to the polar bear exhibit,’ Ms. Cinti recalled. ‘Someone was pleading for help, asking for assistance.’
Guests expressed that they were hurried into the nearest building for safety, with Ms. Cinti estimating they waited for half an hour.
‘We were locked in the building and instructed to stay indoors,’ Ms. Cinti stated. ‘Initially, we thought it was an issue with an animal that had escaped. Then we learned it was concerning the wild dogs and that a child was hurt.’
In May, the zoo had to lock down when nine of the dogs managed to exit their exhibit and entered a secondary holding area.
The dogs, weighing up to 80 pounds individually, can be formidable, but as a pack, they are vicious and capable of hunting and killing prey significantly larger than themselves.
These endangered dogs are among the deadliest predators on the Serengeti Plain, boasting an 80 percent success rate in hunts, compared to the mere 30 percent of lions.
However, it must be acknowledged that these are wild animals acting according to their natural instincts.
Lt. Kevin Kraus of the Pittsburgh police labeled the incident as ‘horrific’, but also expressed concerns about the ethics of keeping animals in zoos, positing that while they help preserve certain species and offer valuable breeding programs, one must question the existence of zoos in the modern era.
While zoos exist and cannot be changed at this moment, the question remains: how could this boy be allowed to fall into this part of the zoo? The zoo holds responsibility for this incident, and the African wild dogs should not be made the scapegoats.
by John Jackson
