The attack happened in a 1.5 acre exhibit called the Painted Dog Bush Camp that's part of a larger open area where elephants, lions and other animals can be seen. They have large, rounded ears and dark brown circles around their eyes and are considered endangered. The so-called painted dogs are about as big as medium-size domestic dogs, and 37 to 80 pounds, according to the zoo. The zoo was immediately closed, and it was not clear when it will reopen, authorities said. The boy's father arrived on the scene soon after the accident, police said. Feldman said the Pittsburgh Zoo successfully completed its 5-year review in September, which means it meets or exceeds all safety standards.Īuthorities didn't release the name of the boy or his mother, but say she is 34 years old and lives in Pleasant Hills, just outside Pittsburgh. Steve Feldman, a spokesman for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, said no one he's spoken to can recall any deaths of children at an accredited zoo over the last 40 years or more. Three more eventually were drawn away from the child, but the last dog was aggressive and police had to shoot the animal. Zookeepers called off some of the dogs, and seven of them immediately went to a back building. It's not clear which is correct.Īuthorities said that zoo staff and then police responded "within minutes" but visitors described that time as being filled with screams for help. Zoo officials at first estimated the boy fell 14 feet, but police said it was 11. It's not yet clear whether the boy died from the fall or the attack, said Barbara Baker, president of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. "Almost immediately after that he lost his balance, fell down off the railing into the pit, and he was immediately attacked by 11 dogs," Kraus said. Sunday after the mother picked the child up and put him on top of a railing at the edge of a viewing deck. Kevin Kraus of the Pittsburgh police said the attack happened at about 11:45 a.m. The zoo will reopen tomorrow, Tuesday, but the painted dogs exhibit will remain closed through the winter, Baker said.PITTSBURGH (AP) - A mother's attempt to give her 2-year-old son a better view of wild African dogs turned into a "horrific" tragedy at the Pittsburgh Zoo after the boy fell into the exhibit and was killed by a pack of the animals as relatives and bystanders looked on. She said that staff responded immediately, but it was too late and too dangerous for them to go into the exhibit.īaker believes that because the dogs are territorial in nature, they quickly began to attack the little boy.Īs witnesses screamed for help, the zoo followed its policy by firing dummy darts at the animals to spook them.īaker said zoo officials did not fire live darts into the enclosure because it could have struck the boy.Ī police officer was forced to kill one of the dogs with a gunshot because it would not get away from Maddox. Barbara Baker, was visibly upset as she explained how the tragedy on Sunday happened, CBS reported. More from GlobalPost: Boy fell into wild dog enclosure at Pittsburgh Zoo after mother lifted him onto railing for a better viewĪt a press conference today, the zoo's president, Dr. She said Maddox was a very happy child and she last saw him on Halloween, dressed in a Superman costume. “I cannot imagine the dark cloud that is following them.” “They went nowhere without Maddox,” said Majcher, 33. Neighbour, Rachel Majcher, told the Tribune Review the Derkosh family were devoted parents. Maddox Derkosh, from Pittsburgh, died after his mother, Elizabeth, 33, lifted him onto a railing to get a better look at the wild dogs, the Tribune Review reported.īut the little boy lost his footing and fell 14 feet onto a mesh net and bounced into the pen where he was set upon by 11 African painted wild dogs, zoo officials said.Īn autopsy report released today revealed Maddox survived the fall but had no chance of survival against the pack of dogs. Police have released the name of a boy, 2, who was killed when he fell into the African wild dog enclosure at Pittsburgh Zoo.
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