Pittsburgh Zoo closed after toddler is mauled to death

The Pittsburgh Zoo was closed Monday after a 2-year-old boy was mauled to death Sunday by African painted dogs on exhibit.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the unidentified child was with his mother and that police said he fell after she held him up to get a better view. Zoo CEO Barbara Baker told a press conference on Monday that he was so small he ricocheted off netting meant to guard against anyone falling into the area, the newspaper said.

The boy fell into the exhibit containing 11 wild dogs. A medical examiner ruled the toddler's death was not due to a fall, the newspaper said.

Baker said zoo workers could not enter the enclosure to save the child because the situation was too dangerous. They fired dummy tranquilizer guns to scare the dogs, because real tranquilizers could have killed a small child. Police eventually shot and killed one of the four dogs who refused to leave the victim.

The zoo was closed for the day on Monday. Baker said the dogs were quarantined but had not been put to death.

Reports said it was the first death at the zoo.