Parents Sue Zoo - For or Against?

InnerConflict
InnerConflict Posts: 1,592 Member
in Chit-Chat
Just saw the headline that the local zoo is being sued by the parents of a boy that was mauled to death in an exhibit of wild African dogs. The boy fell into the exhibit after his mother lifted him on to a railing so he could get a better look. The mother was not charged with negligence.

ETA: The lawsuit claims that zoo officials had ample warning that parents routinely lift their children onto a rail overlooking the exhibit so that the children can see the dogs better, according to the report. The lawsuit states that zoos across the country have more and better safeguards in place to keep children safe.

ETA: Please be respectful with your answer.

For or Against the lawsuit?
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Replies

  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,271 Member
    Just saw the headline that the local zoo is being sued by the parents of a boy that was mauled to death in an exhibit of wild African dogs. The boy fell into the exhibit after his mother lifted him on to a railing so he could get a better look. The mother was not charged with negligence.

    For or Against the lawsuit?

    Against
  • coliema
    coliema Posts: 7,646 Member
    Against.
  • TylerJ76
    TylerJ76 Posts: 4,375 Member
    Against.


    Accidents happen.
    This is not the fault of the zoo, or the parent.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    Based on the info you've provided, against.
  • _Calvin_
    _Calvin_ Posts: 122 Member
    against
  • dennik15
    dennik15 Posts: 97 Member
    Zoos have wild animals. There are fences, gates, walls, and moats around them to protect both the animals and the general public. Being stupid enough to put your child somewhere dangerous and having something horrible happen does not give you the right to sue. I feel awful for the family, but grief and anger are not lessened with money. I'd feel differently if the zoo were negligent and the animal was out of it's enclosure.
  • jordanlell
    jordanlell Posts: 340 Member
    It's really sad that it happened.. but not the zoo's fault. How could you expect the zoo to prevent this from happening? The railing was obviously there for a reason and the mother chose to ignore that. I mean, I could see lifting your kid up to see above the railing, but not ONTO the railing, which is clearly not safe. The dogs are wild animals, and the zoo has no way of controlling their behavior in response to negligence like that.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    Against.
  • HotCuppaJo
    HotCuppaJo Posts: 476 Member
    Zoos have wild animals. There are fences, gates, walls, and moats around them to protect both the animals and the general public. Being stupid enough to put your child somewhere dangerous and having something horrible happen does not give you the right to sue. I feel awful for the family, but grief and anger are not lessened with money. I'd feel differently if the zoo were negligent and the animal was out of it's enclosure.

    Against. I totally agree with this comment....
  • JenAndSome
    JenAndSome Posts: 1,893 Member
    Against. It was a rail, not a bench. I can't imagine how that mother feels, but displacing blame will not help the healing process.
  • wolverine66
    wolverine66 Posts: 3,779 Member
    i remember when this happened. it was an awful thing to hear about. I know of someone who worked at the zoo, but she had nothing to do with the exhibit or anything. she was just in the park when it happened.

    i know a few more details, they showed diagrams and such on the news.

    I am against the lawsuit. The dogs were down in a pit. The fence was high enough that the child would not have fallen had it not been lifted. I believer there were also signs posted.
  • beach_please
    beach_please Posts: 533 Member
    Against.

    I feel for the mother though. She'll relive that day (and the decision to lift him on the rail) for the rest of her life. I can't imagine how she's been dealing with what happened. Probably countless kids have been lifted on that very same railing to get a better look.. it was just a horrible, horrible mistake. A mistake many parents could have made. Yet, I don't really think the zoo is at fault. As parents, we have to make choices that affect our childrens' safety. She made a poor choice IMO but one that many parents could have made. And it had catastrophic consequences. That story still makes me sick to my stomach... that poor family.
  • thecakelocker
    thecakelocker Posts: 407 Member
    She lifted the kid up over the railing and then dropped him. I'm sure the zoo was not expecting people to chuck toddlers into wild dog enclosures. Come the eff on.
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    What are the parents claiming was the zoo's liability?
  • mommy1126
    mommy1126 Posts: 146 Member
    Against. As a mother, I can't imagine what this woman is going through and will continue to go through. However, the zoo bears no responsibility for the fact that she chose to lift her son up on to the railing.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    against of course.
  • Alex_is_Hawks
    Alex_is_Hawks Posts: 3,499 Member
    against.

    it won't bring the boy back and the zoo did nothing wrong. Neither did the mother (at least according to a court of law. that being said I wouldn't have lifted my daughter to stand on the railing when she was a young child but that would be MY choice.).

    mostly, it won't bring the boy back.
  • DalekBrittany
    DalekBrittany Posts: 1,748 Member
    She lifted the kid up over the railing and then dropped him. I'm sure the zoo was not expecting people to chuck toddlers into wild dog enclosures. Come the eff on.

    To be fair, she didn't just pick him up and chuck him in there. :huh:
  • BflSaberfan
    BflSaberfan Posts: 1,272
    Incredibly sad. I cant imagine what that mother is going through but she has absolutely no right to sue...but she will probably win...and that is why we pay ridiculous amounts for insurance.
  • Jerrypeoples
    Jerrypeoples Posts: 1,541 Member
    id like for them to take raw meat, place it on the mothers belly and let the dogs have a go at it
  • WanderingLass
    WanderingLass Posts: 86 Member
    Totally against -- parents need to be responsible. This parent was not as responsible as she should have been.
  • InnerConflict
    InnerConflict Posts: 1,592 Member
    The lawsuit claims that zoo officials had ample warning that parents routinely lift their children onto a rail overlooking the exhibit so that the children can see the dogs better, according to the report.
  • petersonabt
    petersonabt Posts: 518 Member
    Sad it happened. and I feel the parent is looking for someone to blame since I am sure she blames herself the most. ( I am just speaking from if it had happened to me...I know I would feel like number one worst parent in the world)

    with that said..

    I would not sue the zoo...its not the zoo's fault.
  • InnerConflict
    InnerConflict Posts: 1,592 Member
    Like all of the replies I have seen, I am also against this lawsuit. That being said, please be respectful with your opinions.
  • Rivers2k
    Rivers2k Posts: 380 Member
    For it, sue them for millions!!!! Its the corporations responsibility to protect us from our own stupidity. That's why we have cigarette warning labels, caution this coffee is hot, oh and the best little packets that come in shoes they say do not eat. If I didn't have Corporations and Government looking out for me I might fall into a pit of wild dogs myself.

    PS for those that don't get sarcasm this is it ^^^^
  • TylerJ76
    TylerJ76 Posts: 4,375 Member
    .and that is why we pay ridiculous amounts for insurance.

    How much zoo insurance do you have, and what do you pay for it?
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    It would be intersting to know who determines safety protocols for zoos and if the zoo was in violation or not.

    i.e.- was there a sign "keep children off railing" or "danger" etc.
  • TangledUp_InBlue
    TangledUp_InBlue Posts: 397 Member
    It was an accident and I feel for the mother. I don’t let my son stand up on the railings at a zoo, train station or anywhere else where he could get hurt. Just a real bad decision on the mother’s part. Unfortunately we live in a litigious society where culpability is never seen by most people when they look in the mirror.
  • DalekBrittany
    DalekBrittany Posts: 1,748 Member
    .and that is why we pay ridiculous amounts for insurance.

    How much zoo insurance do you have, and what do you pay for it?


    I was thinking the same thing :laugh:
  • DalekBrittany
    DalekBrittany Posts: 1,748 Member
    It would be intersting to know who determines safety protocols for zoos and if the zoo was in violation or not.

    i.e.- was there a sign "keep children off railing" or "danger" etc.

    I think this is important in whether the case will be tossed out or not.

    Granted, it probably wasn't the best idea in the first place, signs or not, but I imagine she already knows that and will remember it the rest of her life.

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