The Misery Machine - The Story of Maddox Derkosh

Starting point is 00:00:00 Maddox Lamar Durkosh was born on January 21st, 2010 to parents Jason and Elizabeth Durkosh of Whitehall, Pennsylvania. He was an adorable little boy with blonde hair and glasses who loved trucks and superheroes. On November 4th, 2012, when Maddox was just two years old, the Durkosh family enjoyed a day trip at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium. Formerly known as the Highland Park Zoo, the facility sits on 77 acres of parkland, exhibiting more than 4,000 animals, representing 475 species, including 20 threatened or endangered species. The zoo is divided into several regions, including the forest passage, the water's edge, jungle odyssey, and the now infamous African Zivana. In this section, the zoo kept a number of African painted dogs in a solid structure

Starting point is 00:00:50 made chiefly of wood material with a viewing deck allowing visitors to watch the dogs from above. Below the aforementioned deck was a small safety net intended to gather any falling debris so that nothing would accidentally end up in the enclosure. However, it was only intended to rescue small personal objects dropped by visitors and was not made to hold the weight of a human being. The exhibit featured a number of warning signs urging visitors to be careful when using the deck. You fell in, you unfortunately were on your own. According to zoo staffers, it was not uncommon to see parents hoisting their kids up onto the railing of the exhibit for a clear view of the painted dogs, despite numerous warnings they would be given about their behavior.

Starting point is 00:01:32 This really isn't a secret. Go to any place where a lot of families are present, and you will observe parents putting their children in precarious positions for a better view. Unfortunately, Maddox was about to be one of those children. Elizabeth Dirkosh ignored the warning signs and lifted her toddler up atop the railings of the viewing deck for a better look at the painted dogs. However, this is when tragedy struck. Maddox slipped from his mother's grasp, toppling over the safety net that wasn't made to hold him,

Starting point is 00:02:03 and fell 14 feet onto the ground of the enclosure, where he was immediately mauled by 11 of the painted dogs. The dog pack proceeded to attack Maddox violently. Horrified, Elizabeth tried to break into the enclosure to rescue her little boy. However, she was restrained by another zoo patron. Other visitors in attendance claim to hear Elizabeth screaming for help in the distance, while visitors closer to the exhibit bore witness to the grotesque scene. As visitors screams for help, the zoo followed its policy by firing dummy darts at the animals to spook them. Zoo officials did not fire live darts into the enclosure because it could have struck the little boy.

Starting point is 00:02:44 Maddox Durkosh was rapidly torn apart, eviscerated by the dogs, and bled to death before anybody could reach him. His body was eventually recovered and sent to the medical examiner for investigation after the painted dogs were detained. To get one of the dogs away from Maddox, it was shot and killed by a police officer at the scene. None of the other dogs were harmed during the incident. Initially, it was unclear whether Maddox had been killed by the fall to the ground or by the painted dogs themselves. Eventually, it was revealed that Maddox had still been fully conscious after the fall and that the dogs had torn his body apart while mauling and biting him, after which the boy was finally approached when it was safe to attempt to rescue.

Starting point is 00:03:31 Maddox's internal organs had been destroyed by the dogs tearing at them, and he had suffered more than 46 wounds to his head and neck. When veterinarian Barbara Baker and other zoo staff arrived, they determined it would have been futile to try to rescue Maddox. According to Ms. Baker, quote, it was clear the child was dead. There was no reason to send our staff into harm's way, end quote. In a report for ABC News, Jack Hanna argued that African painted dogs are a very aggressive species,

Starting point is 00:04:03 as he had worked around them in the 1990s while filming his series Jack Hanna's Wild Countdown. Hannah stated in the interview, quote, I don't care if a zookeeper, a policeman, a tranquilizer gun, whatever would have been right there, could not have helped. Sorry is not a word that I can even see. say. Condolences, I don't know what word to use, but my heart aches right now for everybody, end quote. I don't care if that person was standing right there when all those nine animals were on that seconds. No, you could not have done one thing. I don't care if the Pittsburgh Zoo did everything they could do, and I'll set my life on it. But I can tell you now, it was, it was like a stick

Starting point is 00:04:43 of dynamite going off. It was done before it started. Maddox's killing triggered a lengthy debate between the Durkosh family in the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, which escalated into lawsuits and court filings. The zoo argued that it was not at fault for the attack on Maddox, and moreover, that Elizabeth was reckless and negligent in deliberately lifting her son up atop of the railing when she had explicitly been told not to do so. Elizabeth, in turn, argued that the zoo was irresponsible in the design and operation of the enclosure in viewing deck. Her lawsuit, which sought damages of $300,000, brought to light that there was only an ill-fitting window to prevent visitors from getting too close to the railing and that the painted dogs were roaming loose.

Starting point is 00:05:29 It was later revealed that there had been a previous case where the zoo had to be temporarily put in lockdown because the dogs escaped their enclosure and wandered around the greater zoo property. However, nobody was injured or killed by them. The zoo denied claims that officials had received any warning from staff that parents regularly lifted their children onto the unprotected area overlooking the wild dogs exhibit and did nothing to protect them. However, a review of the zoo's safety committee's meeting minutes proved otherwise.

Starting point is 00:06:01 One note stated, and I quote, Wild Dog Exhibit has one side of the exhibit that is open, and a visitor was seen dangling a child over the exhibit through the opening, end quote, with another stating, guests are dangling children over the railing at the Wild Dogs Exhibit. The zoo claimed that the railings surrounding the enclosure complied with building and safety codes and denied claims that it lacked an emergency plan at the time of the incident. According to zoo spokeswoman Tracy Gray, the zoo had met the safety standards of the Association

Starting point is 00:06:32 of Zoos and Aquariums, and that the U.S. Department of Agriculture found no problems with the exhibit in 35 inspections since 2006. The zoo removed the observation deck a month after the malling. The exhibit displaying the wild dogs closed shortly thereafter. It was later replaced with the Cheetah exhibit. According to Ms. Gray, quote, the USDA has conducted 35 inspections at the painted dog exhibit since its opening in 2006.

Starting point is 00:07:00 At no time have any concerns or violations regarding this exhibit been identified by the regulatory agency, end quote. The painted dogs were relocated to various undisclosed locations. In a statement, zoo officials shared the following. We want our visitors to enjoy a family, fun, and safe environment while learning about our animals. Unfortunately, the painted dogs would have been a continuous reminder of the accident and would distract from educational opportunities to learn about this wonderful and endangered species. The loss of the painted dog enclosure drew a heavy blow to the zoo's endangered species breeding program,

Starting point is 00:07:38 which has a typical mortality rate of 50%. For example, on October 25, 2009, one of the zoo's African-painted dogs, Vega, gave birth to nine live puppies and one dead puppy. Vega died the next day, leaving her puppies orphaned. To help nurse and raise the dogs, the zoo found a domesticated dog named Honey from a local shelter who had recently given birth and was still lactating. Honey immediately took to the puppies and fed them. At the same time, the zoo's vet staff hand-fed these puppies a liquid diet fortified with enzymes. After one month, only five of the remaining puppies had survived birth. Elizabeth Dirkosh was not charged with negligence despite the accusations made against her.

Starting point is 00:08:22 The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPPG Aquarium received some public and media backlash for its treatment of the grieving mother. At the same time, attorneys for both sides began to throw pot shots back and forth at one another. The parents' attorney, Robert Mongaloozy, said that the zoo failed miserably in their solemn responsibility to prevent this attack. as well as shamelessly attacking Maddox's grieving mother. Meanwhile, the zoo's attorney had this to say, quote, the injuries and damages sustained by Maddox Durkosh, including Maddox Durkosh's death,

Starting point is 00:08:55 were caused solely by the carelessness, negligence, and or recklessness of Elizabeth Durkosh. She knew, or should have known, he could fall into the exhibit and failed to maintain a proper grasp of Maddox Durkosh after lifting him over the wreckage. railing." Later, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappaula Jr. declared Maddox-Durkosh's

Starting point is 00:09:20 death a tragic accident while adding that Elizabeth would not face any charges. The Durkosh family in the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. Attorneys for Maddox's parents issued a joint statement, quote, details of the settlement will remain confidential. The Durkosh family and the zoo request that the privacy of all parties involved be respected, end quote. This wasn't the first time that the Pittsburgh Zoo in PPG Aquarium experienced this kind of tragedy. On November 19, 2002, 46-year-old elephant keeper Michael Gotti was killed by one of the zoo's elephants

Starting point is 00:10:00 while attempting to encourage the elephant to move to a different part of her enclosure. She butted him with her head, crushing him against the ground and killing him instantly. Maddox's tragic death has been compared in the media with similar incidents at zoos, theme parks, and aquariums, including the San Francisco Zoo Tiger attacks, the death of Deborah Gale Stone at Disneyland Ride America Sings, and the killing of SeaWorld trainer Don Branchout. Slater Funeral Service handled Maddox's final arrangements, and a massive Christian burial was held at St. Bernard Church in Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

Starting point is 00:10:35 Father Dave Bonner, who officiated Maddox's service, said of the look little boy, quote, Maddox was a happy child who loved life and giggled a lot. If he were asked to draw a picture of God, he would probably draw a picture of a truck, end quote. Maddox's adoration for trucks inspired Elizabeth and Jason Durkosh to create a fundraiser in their son's memory, which involved asking the public for donations of toy trucks, which were then donated to impoverished children for Christmas presents. The fundraiser drew in thousands of donated toys, most of the mostly from strangers who did not personally know the Durkosh family, but who had been disturbed by the story of his death and inspired to help.

Starting point is 00:11:17 So what do you think? Is the zoo solely responsible for the death of Maddox Durkosh, or do his parents share some of the responsibility for the little boy tumbling into the painted dog enclosure? Is this a tragic accident or an act of negligence? What about the fact that an endangered species needed to be killed? Much like that of Harambe? because warnings were not heated.

Starting point is 00:11:40 Let us know your thoughts in the comment section down below.

The Misery Machine - The Story of Maddox Derkosh

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