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Child mauled by tapir at Dublin Zoo!!! :(

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  • 09-08-2013 12:40pm
    #1
    steddyeddy
    Registered Users Posts: 27,564 ✭✭✭✭


    Title does what it says on the tin I'm afraid. A 2 year old girl received serious arm and stomach injuries during a "supervised visit" to a tapir enclosure at Dublin Zoo.

    First of all I wish a speedy recovery to the girl involved but I have to ask what the feck was a 2 year old girl doing in an enclosure with a sometimes dangerous wild animal? The tapir has a calf in the enclosure so that makes it more dangerous to be around. Thoughts?


    Edit: link attached

    http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/dublin-zoo-mother-and-daughter-2-recovering-after-attack-by-tapir-29485408.html


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    #2
    MagicMarker
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 32,865 ✭✭✭✭MagicMarker


    What the **** is a tapir?


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    #3
    anncoates
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,925 ✭✭✭✭anncoates


    MagicMarker wrote: »
    What the **** is a tapir?

    Looks like an anteater mixed with a donkey.


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    #4
    SEPT 23 1989
    Registered Users Posts: 43,028 ✭✭✭✭SEPT 23 1989


    http://brucekrasting.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/tapir.jpg


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    #5
    qo2cj1dsne8y4k
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23,646 ✭✭✭✭qo2cj1dsne8y4k


    Sorry she was hurt and all but she had no business being around a wild animal like that. 100% her parents (or whoever was supervising her) responsibility/fault if they lacked the common sense to keep her out of harms way. Hopefully the animal won't be destroyed, and hopefully you don't see Dublin zoo being sued for someone else's stupidity.


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    #6
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Wow, if true then Dublin Zoo have a lot to answer for. Chances are that the poor animal might be slaughtered now too.


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    #7
    Das Kitty
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    The tapir only had a calf a week or so ago, it seems like it was very bad timing.

    Poor little toddler though, she won't forget that in a hurry.


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    #8
    Rented Mule
    Registered Users Posts: 5,153 ✭✭✭Rented Mule


    MagicMarker wrote: »
    What the **** is a tapir?

    It's like a tracker mortgage.


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    #9
    Das Kitty
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    The keepers do these supervised visits.


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    #10
    shruikan2553
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,113 ✭✭✭shruikan2553


    How many tapir attacks are recorded each year? Cant believe i actually asked that...

    The animals they use for the petting zoo type things would have been hand reared and used to humans. Although I agree that probably best to move it somewhere else if she had a calf.


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    #11
    Amirani
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,521 Mod ✭✭✭✭Amirani


    I wouldn't say the animal will be destroyed.


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    #12
    elfy4eva
    Registered Users Posts: 1,204 ✭✭✭elfy4eva


    LexieOnRale wrote: »
    Sorry she was hurt and all but she had no business being around a wild animal like that. 100% her parents (or whoever was supervising her) responsibility/fault if they lacked the common sense to keep her out of harms way. Hopefully the animal won't be destroyed, and hopefully you don't see Dublin zoo being sued for someone else's stupidity.

    According to the press it was a close-up encounter supervised by Zookeepers. If true it's actually zookeepers at fault here. Apparently her mother received injuries too when intervening in the attack


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    #13
    sweetie
    Registered Users Posts: 9,791 ✭✭✭sweetie


    LexieOnRale wrote: »
    Sorry she was hurt and all but she had no business being around a wild animal like that. 100% her parents (or whoever was supervising her) responsibility/fault if they lacked the common sense to keep her out of harms way. Hopefully the animal won't be destroyed, and hopefully you don't see Dublin zoo being sued for someone else's stupidity.

    read the article, it was a supervised visit.


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    #14
    steddyeddy
    Registered Users Posts: 27,564 ✭✭✭✭steddyeddy


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Wow, if true then Dublin Zoo have a lot to answer for. Chances are that the poor animal might be slaughtered now too.

    It wont be slaughtered likely. Zoos are generally sensible when it comes to animals and don't slaughter animals that are dangerous.


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    #15
    Nozebleed
    Registered Users Posts: 1,727 ✭✭✭Nozebleed


    [Deleted User] wrote: »
    Wow, if true then Dublin Zoo have a lot to answer for. Chances are that the poor animal might be slaughtered now too.

    Hmmmmmm....Bacon.


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    #16
    qo2cj1dsne8y4k
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23,646 ✭✭✭✭qo2cj1dsne8y4k


    Supervised visit or no supervised visit, you'd want to be an absolute thick to put a tiny child in there, with a new mother/wild animal.

    Jesus, even a cat would tear you asunder if you were at her kittens a week later.


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    #17
    steddyeddy
    Registered Users Posts: 27,564 ✭✭✭✭steddyeddy


    Dublin zoo has a lot to answer for here aswell.


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    #18
    Tabnabs
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 15,697 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tabnabs


    I'm no zoologist, but a quick google shows that Tapir attacks are not unknown and generally occur when the young are around or nearby.

    http://www.igorilla.com/gorilla/animal/tapir_attack_in_Oklahoma_City_PartTwo.html

    http://www.tapirs.org/news/interviews/carlosmr-echandi-interview.html


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    #19
    Atomic Pineapple
    Registered Users Posts: 18,272 ✭✭✭✭Atomic Pineapple


    Indeed, the supervising Zoo keepers fault for A) Letting a two year old in with the animal in the first place and B) Failing to monitor the visit enough to make sure nothing like this could happen.

    No grounds for destroying the animal at all.


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    #20
    Oink
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 2,152 Mod ✭✭✭✭Oink


    LexieOnRale wrote: »
    Supervised visit or no supervised visit, you'd want to be an absolute thick to put a tiny child in there, with a new mother/wild animal.

    Jesus, even a cat would tear you asunder if you were at her kittens a week later.

    Sure what could go wrong when you put a toddler next to a 150-300 kg animal which has just given birth. There are experts around.


    tapir bacon hey? mmm.....


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    #21
    SEPT 23 1989
    Registered Users Posts: 43,028 ✭✭✭✭SEPT 23 1989


    This little girls life has been changed forever and i hope she will be compensated accordingly


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    #22
    tin79
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,270 ✭✭✭tin79


    MagicMarker wrote: »
    What the **** is a tapir?

    Planet express ships favourite nocturnal mammal!


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    #23
    sweetie
    Registered Users Posts: 9,791 ✭✭✭sweetie


    I can just imagine Tom Dunne doing the voiceover...


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    #24
    Mongarra
    Registered Users Posts: 1,119 ✭✭✭Mongarra


    A Tapir is an animal found mainly in Central and South America and South-east Asia. It is about the size of a pig (according to RTÉ news this morning) and it resembles a small, smooth-skinned, hornless rhinoceros with a snout extended as a short trunk (or like an anteater - RTÉ news again). it is a nocturnal animal.


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    #25
    Chucky the tree
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19,341 ✭✭✭✭Chucky the tree


    LexieOnRale wrote: »
    Sorry she was hurt and all but she had no business being around a wild animal like that. 100% her parents (or whoever was supervising her) responsibility/fault if they lacked the common sense to keep her out of harms way. Hopefully the animal won't be destroyed, and hopefully you don't see Dublin zoo being sued for someone else's stupidity.
    LexieOnRale wrote: »
    Supervised visit or no supervised visit, you'd want to be an absolute thick to put a tiny child in there, with a new mother/wild animal.

    Jesus, even a cat would tear you asunder if you were at her kittens a week later.



    So it's clearly the zoo who are at fault here. The zoo staff are supposed to be well trained so for them to allow a mother and small child into an area where their is a mother and baby wild animal then it's a shocking mistake on the part of the zoo. I don't think the animal should be destroyed but someone in the Zoo should be sacked.


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    #26
    seamus
    Registered Users Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    Parenting/Animals 101:

    Children and wild animals do not mix.

    Seriously, like. If this was a "supervised visit" organised by Dublin Zoo, then the keeper that allowed the child into the enclosure needs firing.

    The injuries sound serious, but they don't sound like anything which will have any permanent effects aside from scars. Hopefully she makes a full and quick recovery.


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    #27
    Oink
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 2,152 Mod ✭✭✭✭Oink


    Atomic Pineapple wrote: »
    No grounds for destroying the animal at all.

    I don't agree. It should be destroyed on grounds of bacon.

    On the other hand, I agree. The experts should be destroyed instead.


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    #28
    token101
    Registered Users Posts: 3,050 ✭✭✭token101


    elfy4eva wrote: »
    According to the press it was a close-up encounter supervised by Zookeepers. If true it's actually zookeepers at fault here. Apparently her mother received injuries too when intervening in the attack

    The mother intervened? Where were the zookeepers?? Surely they'd carry a dart gun as a precaution if they're allowing the public hang around with wild animals.


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    #29
    Fratoue
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 71 ✭✭Fratoue


    Is the Tapir alright?


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    #30
    anncoates
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,925 ✭✭✭✭anncoates


    With a bit of common sense from the zoo keepers, these attacks will hopefully tapir off.


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    #31
    vitani
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,824 ✭✭✭vitani


    seamus wrote: »
    Parenting/Animals 101:

    Children and wild animals do not mix.

    Seriously, like. If this was a "supervised visit" organised by Dublin Zoo, then the keeper that allowed the child into the enclosure needs firing.

    Maybe the keeper didn't have a choice. It wouldn't surprise me if management 'encouraged' them to keep supervised visits going.

    Having said that, there's still no need to have a 2 year old in the enclosure though. It's older children who'd benefit more, and could be trusted to behave more respectfully. 2 year olds would be as excited by seeing cows and sheep.


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