Police said they're unable to press charges because of the boy's age.
I think they should be pressing charges on the parents! I can't imagine what would have happened to me if I would have pulled something like this when I was 7!
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SYDNEY, Australia — A blank-faced 7-year-old boy broke into a popular Outback zoo, fed a string of animals to the resident crocodile and bashed several lizards to death with a rock, the zoo's director said Friday.
The boy jumped a security fence at the Alice Springs Reptile Center in central Australia early Wednesday, then went on a 30-minute killing spree, using a rock to slay three lizards, including the zoo's beloved, 20-year-old goanna, which he then fed to "Terry," an 11-foot, 440-pound vsaltwater crocodile, said zoo director Rex Neindorf.
The boy, whose deadly acts were caught on the zoo's security camera, also threw several live animals to Terry over the two fences surrounding the crocodile's enclosure, at one point climbing over the outer fence to get closer to the giant reptile. In the footage, the boy's face remains largely blank, Neindorf said.
"It was like he was playing a game," he said.
He killed 13 animals worth around $5,500, including a turtle, bearded dragons and thorny devil lizards, Neindorf said. Although none were rare, some would be difficult to replace, he said.
"We're horrified that anyone can do this, and saddened by the age of the child," Neindorf said.
Alice Springs police said they identified the boy, who lives locally, but were unable to press charges because of his age. Children under age 10 are not criminally liable under the law in the Northern Territory.
"By all accounts, he's quite a nasty 7-year-old," said Neindorf, who plans to sue the boy's parents. "If we can't put the blame onto the child, then someone has to accept the responsibility."
The zoo's security system, which relies on sensors, probably did not detect the boy because he is so small, Neindorf said.
So even though it could have happened in the US, it didn't, and they are planning on making the parents liable.
The parents deserve whatever they get in this one--definitely negligent. Most kids with responsible parenting make better decisions at 7 yrs old (assuming no mental illness in the child), or simply are not left alone long enough to cause this much havoc.
You are so right, Mom. Your three angels wouldn't do anything like this because you're a responsible parent, aren't you? It's too bad there aren't more parents out there like that.
Two possibilities:Ok, but I ask again, where were his parents? I don't so much give a damn about the lizard as much as I do about the fact that the kid was running around unsupervised.
Two possibilities:
- The parents are idiots and didn't give a care in the world to the welfare or actions of their child.
- The parents were slightly distracted for 5 seconds, at which point the kid had already disappeared.
I took a 5-year old to the zoo last year (I don't have any kids). That kid could really hustle and disappear in a split second, so one of us had to hold his hand almost the entire time. I'm glad he didn't get away and do anything crazy. Then again, people who have been parents for seven years should be able to keep up their kid. It's not like they're inexperienced.
Two possibilities:
- The parents are idiots and didn't give a care in the world to the welfare or actions of their child.
- The parents were slightly distracted for 5 seconds, at which point the kid had already disappeared.
I took a 5-year old to the zoo last year (I don't have any kids). That kid could really hustle and disappear in a split second, so one of us had to hold his hand almost the entire time. I'm glad he didn't get away and do anything crazy. Then again, people who have been parents for seven years should be able to keep up their kid. It's not like they're inexperienced.
I don't know either...I'd just say to hold off on pointing fingers until all the facts are in. He may have been supervised by people who weren't even his parents at the time.
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