Life Is a Game of Inches

In Burma a young girl feeds a monkey.

Over the weekend a tragic scene unfolded at the Pittsburgh Zoo where a 2 year-old child fell into an African painted dog exhibit and was mauled and killed by the pack.  Whether the child died in the fall or from the dogs is really irrelevant, in the end the result are the same.

Growing up in Pittsburgh I've been to that zoo numerous times.  It's a wonderful day experience and it's really a shame that such an incident occurred there.  Of course today there is a lot of second-guessing of the mother who lifted her child above the safety rail in order to get a better look, allowing him to be in a position to fall into the exhibit.  I will refrain from passing judgement on her because to me this was a tragic accident and blaming her seems pointless.  She could have never imagined that a day meant to be fun would turn out so wrong.

The incident made me recall the time I visited a zoo in Myanmar (Burma) back in 2006.  To say their safety precautions are lax would be quite an understatement.  I watched adults lean over the railing and pet hippopotamuses, one of the most aggressive creatures in the world and often regarded as one of the most dangerous animals in Africa.  I also saw small children being held over the rail by their parents to allow them to feed the hippos. 


It seems people love to have selective amnesia when an incident like this occurs.  The reason a situation like this is called an accident is because it is just that, an accident.  Sometimes awful things happen and no safety fence can prevent it from occurring.  It's just a sad day and it makes me appreciate how fortunate I have been that some of the situations I've been apart of didn't turn out tragic.