Grrrrrrrrrrrr
Aug. 4th, 2006 12:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hellziggyYes, most of the Minnesotans on my flist have already posted this, but I just have to get my rant on too...
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/595384.html
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/595384.html
MEERKAT080506
Last update: August 04, 2006 – 12:03 PM
Destroyed meerkats did not have rabies
A family of five Minnesota Zoo meerkats destroyed after a girl was bitten did not have rabies, a zoo official said today.
Bob Von Sternberg and Chao Xoingstar Tribune Staff Writers
A family of five Minnesota Zoo meerkats destroyed after a girl was bitten did not have rabies, a zoo official said today.
The girl, who has not been identified, was bitten Wednesday when she reached her hand into the animals' exhibit.
The meerkats -- two mates and their three offspring born this spring -- had been vaccinated for rabies but were killed because the girl's parents didn't want her to have to undergo a series of rabies shots, said zoo collections manager Tony Fisher.
Meerkats are a highly social relative of the mongoose and are native to the African desert. They were popularized in the Disney animated movie "The Lion King" and have been on display at the zoo for about four years.
The 9-year-old girl had climbed atop 3 feet of rock work and reached over a 4-foot glass barrier Wednesday afternoon when she was bitten, Fisher said. The rock work is designed to allow kids to climb up for a better view, he said.
Zoo staff members were notified soon after the incident. The exhibit was closed until crews can lower the rock work to prevent anyone else from reaching over the glass, Fisher said.
A second group of meerkats will be moved from an indoor exhibit to the outdoor one when the modifications are complete, he said, adding that the time frame is unknown.
The entire family of meerkats was destroyed because it is unknown which one bit the girl, Fisher said, adding there is little to no chance that the animals carried the disease.
Meerkats are curious, bold animals, traits that make them highly popular at zoos, Fisher said, but they are still wild. "We handle them with thick leather gloves," he said. "They're not pets."
Incidents of visitors trying to pet animals or even scaling barriers for a closer view are not uncommon, he said.
©2006 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
Last update: August 04, 2006 – 12:03 PM
Destroyed meerkats did not have rabies
A family of five Minnesota Zoo meerkats destroyed after a girl was bitten did not have rabies, a zoo official said today.
Bob Von Sternberg and Chao Xoingstar Tribune Staff Writers
A family of five Minnesota Zoo meerkats destroyed after a girl was bitten did not have rabies, a zoo official said today.
The girl, who has not been identified, was bitten Wednesday when she reached her hand into the animals' exhibit.
The meerkats -- two mates and their three offspring born this spring -- had been vaccinated for rabies but were killed because the girl's parents didn't want her to have to undergo a series of rabies shots, said zoo collections manager Tony Fisher.
Meerkats are a highly social relative of the mongoose and are native to the African desert. They were popularized in the Disney animated movie "The Lion King" and have been on display at the zoo for about four years.
The 9-year-old girl had climbed atop 3 feet of rock work and reached over a 4-foot glass barrier Wednesday afternoon when she was bitten, Fisher said. The rock work is designed to allow kids to climb up for a better view, he said.
Zoo staff members were notified soon after the incident. The exhibit was closed until crews can lower the rock work to prevent anyone else from reaching over the glass, Fisher said.
A second group of meerkats will be moved from an indoor exhibit to the outdoor one when the modifications are complete, he said, adding that the time frame is unknown.
The entire family of meerkats was destroyed because it is unknown which one bit the girl, Fisher said, adding there is little to no chance that the animals carried the disease.
Meerkats are curious, bold animals, traits that make them highly popular at zoos, Fisher said, but they are still wild. "We handle them with thick leather gloves," he said. "They're not pets."
Incidents of visitors trying to pet animals or even scaling barriers for a closer view are not uncommon, he said.
©2006 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
This has pissed me off so much. A nine year old should know better. Also, where were her parents? Did they see her climbing up and reaching down? Did they tell her not to?
This family should be banned from the zoo for life. They should also have to pay the replacement costs for 5 meerkats and the necropsies.
Is it cruel and petty of me that I had been hoping that one of the meerkats would have had rabies so that she has to get the shots anyway?
So the cute little Suricata suricatta in my icon may be dead now. Also, these pictures following? Most likely dead as they were on exhibit just a few weeks ago.
Yes, people are important, and often times we have to put humans rights and safety over that of animals. But not in this case. These senseless deaths could have all been prevented with a vaccine. Yes, the vaccine isn't fun, but it would also be a lesson to the girl and her parents that life has consequences. I personally feel that as she was reaching into a area off limits and it wasn't a case of an animal getting out and biting her that there should have not been a choice about the shots.
This family should be banned from the zoo for life. They should also have to pay the replacement costs for 5 meerkats and the necropsies.
Is it cruel and petty of me that I had been hoping that one of the meerkats would have had rabies so that she has to get the shots anyway?
So the cute little Suricata suricatta in my icon may be dead now. Also, these pictures following? Most likely dead as they were on exhibit just a few weeks ago.
Yes, people are important, and often times we have to put humans rights and safety over that of animals. But not in this case. These senseless deaths could have all been prevented with a vaccine. Yes, the vaccine isn't fun, but it would also be a lesson to the girl and her parents that life has consequences. I personally feel that as she was reaching into a area off limits and it wasn't a case of an animal getting out and biting her that there should have not been a choice about the shots.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-04 07:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-04 10:55 pm (UTC)When a person at the Zoo is bit by an animal that has the potential to carry rabies, the Zoo has two
options: 1. The person who is bit goes through the rabies vaccination series; or 2. If they are not able or willing to take the series, the Department of Public Health then mandates that the Zoo must euthanize the animal and test for rabies. The only way to test for rabies is via necropsy in the brain.
So the negligent parents were the ones that decided that 5 animals should be put to death rather than making their child who was clearly at fault get five shots in the arm.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-05 02:59 am (UTC)