Child Mauled To Death By 11 African Dogs At Pittsburgh Zoo

A 3-year-old boy was killed by 11 painted African dogs after he fell into their pen at the Pittsburgh Zoo — how tragic.
Tragedy struck at the Pittsburgh Zoo on Nov. 4 as a child was killed by a pack of African dogs. Zookeepers failed to lure the pack of endangered species away from the helpless boy.


"The screams just kept coming and coming: 'Someone help. Someone has to do something,'" Angela Cinti, 20, of Bethel Park, who was visiting the zoo today with her boyfriend Nick Kramer, 16, told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Zoo President and Chief Executive Officer Barbara Baker said the child was visiting the zoo with his mother when he fell over a wooden railing and off of a mesh barrier, entering the African dog display. According to the report, the wooden railing is 4 feet high and the lower mesh barrier is 14 feet above the open exhibit space.

Zookeepers removed 7 out of the 11 dogs from the exhibit as the child's life remained in danger. The staff continued to shoot darts into the exhibit in hopes of scaring the dogs, but, "unfortunately, the dogs were in pack mentality and not responding."

"There were three dogs: one at his head, one on the left side of his neck and another one down by his leg… A [zoo employee]got there and hopped over a fence with a rake and he was banging…trying to distract the dogs but they wouldn't move," said Angela.

The incident is under investigation by police and the zoo.


Chimdindu Nweke