Toddler Killed by Wild Dogs in Exhibit at Pittsburgh Zoo

A child was mauled at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium by “painted” African wild dogs on Sunday Nov. 4. According to CBS News, Maddock Derkosh, 2, fell into the enclosure after being placed on a wooden railing at the edge of the viewing dock by his mother in order to better see the animals. He first landed on the netting below the deck but bounced several times before dropping more than 11 feet into the dog’s enclosure, officials told NBC. According to USA Today, Lt. Kevin Kraus of the Pittsburgh police said, “Almost immediately after [his mother putting him on the railing of the viewing deck] he lost his balance, fell down off the railing and into the pit and he was attacked by 11 dogs.” Zookeepers attempted to call off the dogs. Seven of them immediately went to a back building as they were trained to do, and three more were drawn away from the child, but the last dog was aggressive and had to be shot by the police.

The current debate is over who is at fault. Some people say that the zoo could have prevented the incident, and others blame the mother for improper parenting. I believe that the zoo is not at fault, but neither is the mother, despite the large impact her actions had on the incident. The zoo had multiple security measures in place to prevent these kinds of incidents from occurring, such as slanting the wide railing and netting below the viewing deck and could not have done anything more without changing the dynamics of the exhibit. It had even been accredited the gold standard for zoos by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums in September for meeting or exceeding all safety standards for animals and visitors, according to NBC.

The president of the Pittsburgh Zoo, Barbara Baker, described the boy’s death as a “horrible, horrible tragedy,” according to the Chicago Tribune, and said, “There’s no such thing as a fail-proof exhibit.” Doug Warmolts, Director of Animal Care at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, stated in an interview with NBC that the ultimate goal of balancing a safe but authentic experience at a zoo is to protect the animals and the visitors. According to Warmolts, “Short of putting everything behind glass and solid barriers, it’s hard to make everything absolutely safe.” He also explained that exhibits at accredited zoos are designed by architecture, engineering and design firms that understand zoo animals’ behavior and how to properly care and set standards for them in a zoo setting. “People’s expectations when they come to a zoo or aquarium are to have a meaningful experience where they have that connection with the animals, and it’s hard to do that if they’re looking through a chain-link fence,” Warmolts told NBC.

What happened is terrible, but I feel that it would not have occurred if Mrs. Derkosh had not placed her son on the railing, which is something that the zoo officials could not have prevented. Warmolts said that even with safety measures enforced, the zoo industry is constantly dealing with “human error” by its visitors. According to NBC, he said, “What happened is very rare, what’s more common is people exhibiting inappropriate behavior. It’s just unfortunate.” Baker said zoo officials “discourage” parents from setting their children on the wide, wooden railing, and according to the Chicago Tribune, the railing is sloped towards the viewing platform at a 45-degree angle so a child placed there would be more likely to fall backward into a parent’s arms instead of forward into the exhibit.

The Chicago Tribune reported mourners left teddy bears and other items outside the zoo and that nearly a thousand people responded to a condolence message posted on the zoo’s Facebook page, either passionately condemning the boy’s mother or calling for empathy and consideration. According to the Chicago Tribune, more than a few parents acknowledged lifting their children onto the rail too.
Sasha Brown-Worsham, writing for cafemom.com, feels that the death of Derkosh should make people question zoos. Brown-Worsham wrote, “A woman trying to “give her child a better view” should not have been able to drop him into the exhibit.” However, she also writes, “The last dog — a species considered endangered — was shot because of this incident. It’s not really the dog’s fault. He was not a domesticated dog. He was a wild African beast who should probably be roaming in his native land, not on display for a toddler to be eaten.”

I feel that Brown-Worsham and the people that agree with her are missing two key factors–the zoo is trying to preserve the animals and it would be wrong to try to domesticate them. True, these dogs are endangered, and according to the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, the Pittsburgh painted dog exhibit is one of 26 zoos in the U.S. where they can be found. But, safety measures were taken and I feel that it is wrong to place the blame on the zoo. The second factor is that Mrs. Derkosh set her son on the railing, the only thing separating viewers from the dogs.

I believe that this was a freak accident, and was not the zoo’s fault. However, I do feel that the mother should not have placed her son on the railing. I understand the urge for a better view, but placing a child on a railing which leaves nothing between him and the exhibit of wild dogs except a drop down into the enclosure is ridiculous and irresponsible. Let me make myself clear, I am not blaming the mother. She probably never would have guessed that something like that could have resulted from her actions, but unfortunately it did. There also wasn’t anything that the zoo could have done to prevent the accident. The safety measures they had in place were more than reasonable. There is no one to blame. It was simply a tragic accident.

Elaina Zintl can be reached at elaina.zintl@spartans.ut.edu