Eventually it was revealed that Maddox had still been fully conscious after the fall, and that the dogs had torn his body apart while mauling and biting him, after which the boy was finally approached when it was safe to attempt a rescue. It was initially unclear in most news coverage of the case whether Maddox had been killed by the lengthy fall to the ground, or by the dogs themselves. In order to get one of the dogs away from Maddox, the dog was shot and killed by a police officer at the scene none of the other dogs were harmed during the incident. Other visitors in attendance claimed to hear Elizabeth screaming for help from the distance, while other visitors closer to the exhibit were able to see the dogs attacking Maddox.
The dog pack proceeded to attack Maddox, while Elizabeth screamed and tried to break into the enclosure to rescue her son, during which she was restrained by another visitor. Įlizabeth Derkosh wandered past the warning signs with Maddox and lifted the boy up atop the railing of the viewing deck for a better look at the dogs, when Maddox slipped from her grasp, bouncing off the safety net and onto the ground of the enclosure several feet below. The catch-all safety net below was only intended to rescue small objects like cell phones, cameras and sunglasses dropped by visitors, and was not sufficient to catch the weight of a human being. It was, according to zoo staffer Lou Nene, not an uncommon occurrence to see parents hoisting their kids up onto the railing of the exhibit for a clearer view of the painted dogs, despite the numerous warnings they would be given about the behaviour. Parents Jason and Elizabeth Derkosh were both in attendance. In November 2012, Maddox Derkosh had been with his family at The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium for a day trip. condolences? I don't know what word to use, but my heart aches right now for everybody." The zoo had never had any visitor death on record until the incident with Maddox Derkosh occurred. Hanna stated in the interview, "I don't care if a zookeeper, a policeman, a tranquilizer gun, whatever would have been right there, could not have helped.
#Pittsburgh zoo wild dogs series
In a report for ABC News, Jack Hanna argued that African painted dogs are a very aggressive species, as he had worked around them in the 1990s during the filming of his series Jack Hanna's Wild Countdown. The exhibit featured a number of warning signs urging visitors to be careful when using the deck, while staff of the zoo claimed that visitors were briefed on the dangers of wild animals. Below the deck was a catch-all safety net intended to gather any falling debris so that nothing would accidentally end up in the enclosure. The zoo's African painted dog exhibit consisted of a large number of the dogs kept within an enclosure, near which was a solid structure made mostly of wood material with a viewing deck allowing visitors to watch the dogs from above. Elizabeth Derkosh was initially accused of criminal negligence in a court filing, but was never prosecuted, having filed her own lawsuit against the zoo and later settling out of court. Maddox Derkosh was rapidly torn apart and eviscerated by the dogs, and bled to death before anybody was able to reach him.
One of the dogs was shot and killed by a police officer on the scene, while zoo staff tried to detain the remaining dogs. Maddox Derkosh slipped, falling 14 feet (4.3 m) from the railing, past a catch-all safety net built for collecting falling debris, and into the painted dog enclosure, where he was immediately mauled by 11 of the painted dogs. The exhibit featured a special observation deck for viewing the dogs Derkosh's mother, Elizabeth Derkosh, lifted her son up onto the railing of the exhibit for "a better view" despite numerous warning signs posted and barriers established. Maddox Lamar Derkosh was a two-year-old American boy killed in an animal attack after falling into an African wild dog exhibit at The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium on November 4, 2012.
0 kommentar(er)
