Child attacked by leopard at Sedgwick County Zoo

[WstateU]

Yikes! Sounds like the little guy was lucky...

http://www.kansas.com/2011/05/06/1838692/child-mauled-by-leopard-at-zoo.html

[Shirley Schmidt]

Yikes! Sounds like the little guy was lucky...

And stupid too!

A child on a school outing at the Sedgwick County Zoo was mauled by a leopard this afternoon after he climbed over a railing separating the leopard exhibit from the public.

Where were the adults that were supposed to be watching the little dummy?

[SubGod22]

I'm not going to blame the teachers/adults for this. The size of groups they're responsible for can be fairly large and it wouldn't be difficult for a kid to get away.

Sadly, the school will probably end up being sued because of this.

[Kung Wu]

Hmmm.

There's a big difference in my mind between a 1st grader (5 or 6) doing it and a 3rd grader (7 or 8?) doing it. A 5 or 6 year old might not be expected to know better. Obviously this one didn't.

I think there is some negligence here, but that's not to say a lawsuit is necessary or warranted.

[wsushox1]

My district was frantically trying to make sure this was not one of our students today while I was at the District office.

Our district had 1st graders there as well.

[ShockTalk]

I'm not going to blame the teachers/adults for this. The size of groups they're responsible for can be fairly large and it wouldn't be difficult for a kid to get away.

Sadly, the school will probably end up being sued because of this.

Don't parents sign something allowing their child to go on field trips? If so, what all does it cover?

I'm not totally absolving the teachers/parents there for supervision, particularly if there was true negligence. Sometimes, things just happen. Nevertheless, the child should have known better and I'm fairly certain the children were told what to do and not do.

[InWuWeTrust]

not to mention that there are signs all over the place saying to stay on the paths and not to cross the rails.

[Kung Wu]

Maybe I underestimate the ability for a 5-6 year old to be able to read? And to fully understand the consequences of his actions?

[XManCometh]

the child climbed over a four- to five-foot railing, crossed an eight-foot gap and stood next to the metal mesh fence of the animal’s enclosure.

How in the world did nobody notice this happening? Unless the kid somehow learned how to turn invisible, then someone wasn't paying very much attention.

[ABC]

Wonder if his parents spank?

[Aargh]

I've been pretty involved with the zoo. They have a requirement of 1 adult per 5 kids for school visits. At least that used to be the requirement..

Visiting groups are encouraged to have one adult per 3 children. That almost never happens because not enough parents volunteer to accompany their kids.

[rZ]

the child climbed over a four- to five-foot railing, crossed an eight-foot gap and stood next to the metal mesh fence of the animal’s enclosure.

How in the world did nobody notice this happening? Unless the kid somehow learned how to turn invisible, then someone wasn't paying very much attention.

If you've ever been around a group of kids this age then you know that they can quickly turn invisible for a few seconds here and there.

[ShockBand]

the child climbed over a four- to five-foot railing, crossed an eight-foot gap and stood next to the metal mesh fence of the animal’s enclosure.

How in the world did nobody notice this happening? Unless the kid somehow learned how to turn invisible, then someone wasn't paying very much attention.

If you've ever been around a group of kids this age then you know that they can quickly turn invisible for a few seconds here and there.

Quite true, especially in large groups of mixed adults and kids. Still, what I can't figure out, unless this kid was in a spot where no one else was within arms reach, was how no adult didn't grab the kid once he was scaling the railing. At that point I would grab any kid whether I knew them or not out of sheer imminent danger.

[BOBB]

Yikes! Sounds like the little guy was lucky...

And stupid too!

A child on a school outing at the Sedgwick County Zoo was mauled by a leopard this afternoon after he climbed over a railing separating the leopard exhibit from the public.

Where were the adults that were supposed to be watching the little dummy?

The consistency with which you demonstrate a complete disregard for humanity is alarming. All little kids are "stupid."

[rZ]

the child climbed over a four- to five-foot railing, crossed an eight-foot gap and stood next to the metal mesh fence of the animal’s enclosure.

How in the world did nobody notice this happening? Unless the kid somehow learned how to turn invisible, then someone wasn't paying very much attention.

If you've ever been around a group of kids this age then you know that they can quickly turn invisible for a few seconds here and there.

Quite true, especially in large groups of mixed adults and kids. Still, what I can't figure out, unless this kid was in a spot where no one else was within arms reach, was how no adult didn't grab the kid once he was scaling the railing. At that point I would grab any kid whether I knew them or not out of sheer imminent danger.

The headline in the paper should probably read..."Child climbs fence with speed of cheetah, then gets eaten by one."