Seven-Year-Old Goes on After-hours Reptile Killing Spree at Zoo
Wow. A seven-year-old kid snuck into the Alice Springs Reptile Centre in Australia after it was closed, evaded security detection, and spent thirty minutes killing reptiles:
"The attack happened on Wednesday morning after the boy entered the zoo by jumping over the security fence and evading sensor alarms. Over the next half hour, he bludgeoned some of the animals to death with stones and hurled others over the two fences surrounding the crocodile enclosure. At one point, he tried scaling the outer enclosure himself to get to 'Terry', the 11ft (3.3m) saltwater crocodile. A turtle, four Western blue-tongued lizards, two bearded dragons, two thorny devil lizards and the zoo's 20-year-old goanna were among those killed. Zoo director Rex Neindorf said many of the animals were rare or mature and would be difficult to replace. 'The fact a seven-year-old can wreak so much havoc in such a short time, it's unbelievable,' he told Reuters news agency."
The parents have some explaining to do.
Awww, he'll make a nice Republican in the states someday...
Posted by: CJ | Oct 3, 2008 10:29:14 AM
It's a shame he never made it as far as the crocodile.
Posted by: Stairs | Oct 3, 2008 10:34:38 AM
Well, what an adorable little sociopath.
Posted by: Ben | Oct 3, 2008 10:35:49 AM
The same thing happened at the Cedar Rapids zoo a few months ago, only it was ducks not reptiles and the miscreant has not yet been caught. They killed dozens and dozens of ducks.
Posted by: tom | Oct 3, 2008 10:38:21 AM
Despicable. Destructive and violent little runt.
Another human on the planet looking to make life miserable for every other dwindling species out there.
Parents better watch out or they might have a little serial killer in-the-making on their hands.
Posted by: Andy | Oct 3, 2008 10:38:34 AM
I believe the torturing/killing of animals is the first step on the path of most serial killers.
Posted by: secretagentman | Oct 3, 2008 10:38:50 AM
Sick. It's too bad he didn't get to the crocodile.
Posted by: dm | Oct 3, 2008 10:39:01 AM
Ben's right: sure sign of a sociopath is killing and torturing animals as a child. Seriously, how many people kill animals for fun like this?
The other question is where were the kid's parents? Who allows a 7-year-old to run wild like this?
Posted by: noah | Oct 3, 2008 10:44:20 AM
Too bad the crocodile didn't get to him!
Posted by: Jason (A) | Oct 3, 2008 10:44:22 AM
God I wish the croc had a chance with him. Sick little fucker.
Posted by: shane | Oct 3, 2008 10:56:55 AM
What kind of a family raises such a fucked up 7 year old? Guess the zoo should invest in some real security system and it is a shame that croc didn't get to eat this little bastard!
Posted by: SFshawn | Oct 3, 2008 11:01:29 AM
@SFSHAWN
Thats the thing - I don't think all sociopaths are "raised" that way - I think some are just born that way.
I wish psychologists would just admit that instead of trying to say all humans are born sweet and innocent.
Posted by: Andy | Oct 3, 2008 11:17:25 AM
"What kind of a family raises such a fucked up 7 year old?"
Unfortunately the same types of family that rear nice and healthy 7 year olds - this is someone who snuck into a zoo and away from his family, remember. Psychopaths come from the same "normal" background as others, but do give signs like this in their childhoods. Let's hope this kid is now recognized as being abnormal and will be on a short leash for the rest of his life
Posted by: Patrick M | Oct 3, 2008 11:26:57 AM
"What kind of a family raises such a fucked up 7 year old?"
Unfortunately the same types of family that rear nice and healthy 7 year olds - this is someone who snuck into a zoo and away from his family, remember. Psychopaths come from the same "normal" background as others, but do give signs like this in their childhoods. Let's hope this kid is now recognized as being abnormal and will be on a short leash for the rest of his life
Posted by: Patrick M | Oct 3, 2008 11:27:38 AM
Hmm, a seven year old. Just the right size for a late-night crocodile snack.
Order up!
Posted by: johnny | Oct 3, 2008 11:37:35 AM
Barneyphobe.
Posted by: Superman | Oct 3, 2008 12:12:01 PM
Damn, people. Reign in the bloodlust. This kid is only seven and obviously disturbed. What is going on with the rest of you that so many people wish he had been eaten alive by a croc?
Time, perhaps, to up the meds and make another emergency appointment with the head doc.
Obviously this kid has some very serious problems. Hopefully there will be some extreme and ongoing intervention into this kids life and the family as well.
I think that kid isn't ever going to be right. Not a chance. His future is just sad to contemplate. But I certainly am not god and while I think this I don't know it. I would never wish that he had been killed. He's seven. There's a reason that he is full of such rage.
And if you can't find a small iota of sympathy for this sad kid, at least think about the zoo. If he had been killed, his likely abusive but certainly distant and disturbed parents would have sued the zoo for everything. So be glad that didn't happen.
Posted by: Bucky | Oct 3, 2008 12:19:37 PM
Now, I'm just guessing that this kid WASN'T raised by two gay dads, right? Two moms? No? Alright.
Posted by: Andalusian Dog | Oct 3, 2008 12:20:56 PM
A future serial killer psychotic...that KID DESERVES A SERIOUS BEATEN...sue the parents or throw the family in jail this is horrible and should nto go unpunished...BASTARD~
Posted by: bosie | Oct 3, 2008 12:22:17 PM
I seem to be in the minority (membership 1?) who finds this funny.
Posted by: SJ | Oct 3, 2008 12:32:26 PM
Bucky,
The kid voluntarily went into the enclosure, killed the rare reptiles by stoning and feeding them to the crocs. If he were successful in accessing the croc's enclosure, I would agree (with the others) that he would ultimately get mauled and killed. If the parents were to sue...where would their argument lie? A child's life is worth more than 18 species of animals and reptiles?
Fortunately for the child, he is alive to terrorize another day. His parents, on the other hand, will get sued by the zoo.
Posted by: CamboSoup | Oct 3, 2008 1:08:48 PM
Where was the security team during this? It looks like he was caught on camera. Just because he didn't trip any sensors, doesn't mean you can't see him on the cctv's?
And yes, I too am all for crocodiles eating naughty little children.
Posted by: ridwah | Oct 3, 2008 1:30:34 PM
Off with his head!
Posted by: wopboptorledo | Oct 3, 2008 1:35:50 PM
Cambo:
The argument would be that the zoo didn't take reasonable and necessary precautions to protect children from access to a dangerous animal. (Obviously they did, since the demon seed kid didn't get into the croc's pen.) Don't know about Australia, but here in the US, they would have a very good case considering the age of the kid. Regardless of his actions. We don't hold seven year olds legally or morally responsible.
Still, this sad little monster needs to be taken away from his family and kept away from society for the rest of his pathetic existence. He's broken. And some things can't be fixed.
And Ridwah, as much as I chuckled about your fairy-tale line of "crocodiles eathing naughty little children" I'm still glad it didn't happen. Alougth I will confess that when around particularly ill-behaved urchins, I do fantasize about a place where crocodiles gobble up wretched parents.
Posted by: Bucky | Oct 3, 2008 1:50:56 PM
This is not a good sign for a seven-year-old. Sociopaths and murderers frequently kill and mutilate animals in their childhood.
Posted by: Gary | Oct 3, 2008 2:12:21 PM