Zoo elephant tramples boy to death

Mucho

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Oct 20, 2001
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ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) -- A 13-year-old boy who entered an elephant's open-air cage to feed it a mango was crushed to death on Tuesday.

Guillermo Gonzalez got past a rock wall and two metal fences to reach the 4 1/2-ton elephant, named Maia, but the animal reacted violently, stomping the teenager to death before a trainer could intervene.

"Maia understood that its territory had been invaded by a stranger, which is why the elephant trapped Guillermo with the trunk, taking him by the legs and then crushing him with one of its front feet," said Carlos Britos, a veterinarian and director of the zoo.

He described the 35-year-old elephant as docile and obedient with him and other handlers.

The elephant's caretaker, Maximo Ramos, said he has intervened with commands before to protect visitors who got too close. He said he did the same on Tuesday, after he saw the boy had passed the barriers.

"She obeyed and let go of the child, but he was already dead," he said.


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DingDingDao

Diamond Member
Jun 9, 2004
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That's why there are fences. Sucks for the boy's family, but the result isn't surprising.
 

jlee

Lifer
Sep 12, 2001
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Crossed three barriers to get to a freakin' elephant..not too terribly intelligent.
 

Richardito

Golden Member
Feb 24, 2001
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Come on, this is about a kid/teenager. Darwin principles do not apply since he hasn't reached maturity. Darwin awards are for adults that should know better, but they are ignorant or stupid.
 

Ime

Diamond Member
May 3, 2001
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Originally posted by: Richardito
Come on, this is about a kid/teenager. Darwin principles do not apply since he hasn't reached maturity. Darwin awards are for adults that should know better, but they are ignorant or stupid.

Perhaps, but I can tell you that when I was 13 I would never have climbed over 3 fences to feed an elephant. So obviously the teenager was still an idiot. He was just an idiot and unlucky.
 

DingDingDao

Diamond Member
Jun 9, 2004
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Originally posted by: Richardito
Come on, this is about a kid/teenager. Darwin principles do not apply since he hasn't reached maturity. Darwin awards are for adults that should know better, but they are ignorant or stupid.

I think you're cutting the kid too much slack. He was 13--that's plenty old enough to understand that a rock wall and two fences mean NO.
 

Kadarin

Lifer
Nov 23, 2001
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Originally posted by: DingDingDao
Originally posted by: Richardito
Come on, this is about a kid/teenager. Darwin principles do not apply since he hasn't reached maturity. Darwin awards are for adults that should know better, but they are ignorant or stupid.

I think you're cutting the kid too much slack. He was 13--that's plenty old enough to understand that a rock wall and two fences mean NO.

I agree, and have no sympathy.
 

Argo

Lifer
Apr 8, 2000
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I've actually done exactly the same thing once, climbed into an elephant cage to feed it some grass. Of course I was 4 years old at the time.