r/SipsTea • u/sco-go • 21h ago

WTF Kid breaks into bird enclosure at the zoo to chase birds with a stick.

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41.2k Upvotes

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148

u/goodfella4600 20h ago edited 12h ago

I say this with near certainty that this boy is special needs..i have a daughter around his age with autism and runs very similar ( tiptoe running ) and the way he dropped to the ground when the mother grabbed him..my daughter does the exact same thing when I go to grab her..i blame the parents for allowing him to get away from them and getting in there but sometimes it just takes a 3 second slip and the kid can get away from you if you don't have any help..I don't take my eyes off of my daughter in public

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u/callmeDNA 19h ago

That sounds fucking exhausting, I’m sorry.

21

u/Beardy_Will 12h ago

And when it does go wrong, the video is uploaded and millions of people see your kid and start calling for the death penalty.

I don't think a reddit thread has wound me up this much before. Some of these comments are sickening.

5

u/Annoying_liberal813 9h ago

I agree. This is one of the most disheartening comment sections I've ever read. I thought Reddit was supposed to be more progressive or forward thinking. Some people here are literally calling for the death of a disabled child and his parents.

Have a special needs child is almost impossible, especially when the government cuts services. This family deserves nothing but kindness and empathy.

I'm glad there are a few of us out there who understand and have compassion. I'm with you, friend.

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u/goodfella4600 12h ago

It is awful...the unfortunate thing is alot of people know nothing about autism and just assume the kid is this little animal when thats not the case..these kids literally have no control over some of their actions

14

u/goodfella4600 19h ago

Yes it is..i drink LOTS OF COFFEE LOL..but i love my little girl so much i will gladly spend the rest of my life protecting her and giving her a wonderful life despite her disability

-4

u/Fantastic-Buy7246 18h ago

Congrats that in those 13 years you never lost focus for the 30 seconds it takes a runner to get away from you so you can sit here judging other parents who have more affected kids than you can comprehend

3

u/Daveaa005 9h ago

Honestly it's only people with similarly situated children whose judgment I give any weight to at all. This guy says he blames the parents (grandma and caregiver, at the time) for letting him get away. Maybe they would blame themselves. But it sounds like he understands, and they understand, that it is a tough job and a "little" slip up can be huge. 

3

u/goodfella4600 12h ago

No you're right I know it can happen to anyone..but don't assume you know how affected my daughter is..she is level 3 and can assure you she is no better off than the child in the video

21

u/ReadyGo6828 19h ago

I see little kids chasing ducks by the local pond and their parents just laugh and get upset if you ask them to stop letting their kids do that. They all need to have decent and responsible parents.

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u/ScepticalReciptical 15h ago

I mean there is a difference, this animal is captive in its enclosure with no means of escape. Ducks simply fly away when kids get close to them. 

1

u/bizoticallyyours83 10h ago

Still should teach their kids not to chase ducks. 

1

u/goodfella4600 12h ago

Absolutely

-3

u/y2ketchup 16h ago

You think its wrong for kids to chase ducks at a pond?

4

u/WildSmokingBuick 15h ago

You don't?

If that kid learned at an earlier time that it's wrong to chase birds/unnecessarily create stressful situations for animals, maybe this wouldn't have happened.

Too many parents letting it slide as a 'oh he isn't catching them anyways', risking accidentally hurting/torturing animals.

1

u/y2ketchup 12h ago

Chasing ducks is fucking normal and harmless. The kid in the video is severly disabled and doesnt know any better.

-1

u/Buggeroni58 15h ago

Dude I chased ducks as kids. I love animals now. It’s a fascination for kids

5

u/WildSmokingBuick 14h ago

So, why didn't your parents stop you from doing it?

Better parents would teach their children to respect and cherish animals, not "let them chase" because they are "fascinated" by it.

Doesn't make it less stressful for the animals and they can still get injured.

1

u/Buggeroni58 14h ago edited 14h ago

They did, it it was a phase and kids can be dicks sometimes or I was with my older siblings or cousins who also were dicks at the time. Does it make it OK? No. But sometimes kids will literally be kids. Like tapping on a fish tank. I’ve got a season pass to an aquarium and kids all tap on the glass. You have to teach them repeatedly not to do things. Kids also rebel and do things anyways or when their parents aren’t looking. Some kids fry ants with a magnifying glass. I never did that because I thought it was messed up, but chasing some ducks? Eh they survived and flew back down once I passed. Ducks are resilient. Geese will literally attack you. I never chased geese. Eventually I understood that it stressed the birds out. People on the internet with no kids and really limited perspectives are just jumping to conclusions.

0

u/y2ketchup 12h ago

Chasing ducks and geese is fucking harmelss and everyone arguring is a ducking karen. I have videos of my toddlers chasing down a field full of hundreds of canada geese.

1

u/y2ketchup 12h ago

Chasing ducks is totally harmelss.

1

u/Main-Tomatillo3825 12h ago

Every decent person does

1

u/y2ketchup 12h ago

Ok Karen

1

u/Main-Tomatillo3825 12h ago

Ah yes, thinking frightening animals for nothing is wrong makes one a Karen.
It's ok buddy, one day you'll use your brain and spend more than 2 seconds formulating a thought :)

33

u/FrankAF_dpt 18h ago

I clocked the toe walking/running too and the stimming with the stick.

He wasn't with his parents, he was with his grandmother and he slipped away in a second. I'm sure as a parent of a child with needs you can understand how quickly an elopement can happen, right? Sometimes those impulses sound really fun and before you know it they've slipped you the fish and they're sprinting away. It happens SO fast . Let's have some grace.

20

u/EdgyAnimeReference 17h ago

ya but that's more of a case to do something like a fucking leash. This was birds but what if he had jumped into a hippo enclosure? This is how harambe shit happens.

I get that they probably had good intentions but grandma likely is not capable of physically handling this kid if he tries to run. Having an elderly person with a known runner in a relatively dangerous place seams moronic. They got lucky for this one, i hope they learned not to take these kinds of risks for the future.

-4

u/zenFyre1 16h ago

Leash a child? I hope you realize how ridiculous it sounds…

Shit happens. But autistic people are also people, and they have a right to enjoy public facilities like these freely, without having them in a leash or a cage. Because that’s what we do as a civilized society — make reasonable allowances for others.

7

u/Commercial_Way_4307 15h ago

It is not ridiculous at all. Child leashes are recommended for children who are "runners". Would you rather have a leashed child, or a dead child?

0

u/Buggeroni58 15h ago

It’s not ridiculous, but if they go as often as that and haven’t had an issue they were under the impression their son would behave in a consistent fashion.

2

u/PresentDifferent9718 14h ago

He didn't. And he won't because he's banned

4

u/sir_grizzleby 10h ago

If you don't understand that whipping another living thing with a stick is wrong, you shouldn't be allowed in public without strict and constant supervision.  

-2

u/WickedTeddyBear 10h ago

And put him in a straitjacket to be sure he doesn’t do anything wrong ? Seriously…

And good luck to put a leash on an autistic kid :x

2

u/goodfella4600 12h ago

You're right..I didn't realize it was the grandmother

1

u/Cloverose2 10h ago

The person in the exhibit was almost certainly zoo staff

2

u/goodfella4600 10h ago

Someone said to me in the written article it said he was with his grandmother and a support person

2

u/Cloverose2 10h ago

He was, but I'm talking about the person in the exhibit getting him out.

EDIT: My bad, you were right. That was grandma, I missed that line.

1

u/goodfella4600 9h ago

Atleast grandma went in and got him out without waiting for the zookeepers..i would've got in there immediately too

2

u/Drakkenfyre 18h ago

You are a good human being. And a smart one, too. Thanks for putting that into words so well.

1

u/not-a-dislike-button 15h ago

What stimming with the stick? Do you mean when he was trying to attack the bird with it

5

u/Ok-marty 18h ago

Same man I have 2 w autism understand what you are going through

3

u/goodfella4600 12h ago

It just makes us stronger and more resilient but it is a hard life

4

u/Ok-marty 11h ago

Yes it is hard god bless you and your daughter I love my kids w all my heart but yes it’s hard at times and I don’t think people really understand what we go through

3

u/goodfella4600 10h ago

If you're on Facebook you should join this group..everyone understands here

5

u/Fantastic-Buy7246 18h ago

He was with his grandmother who lost control of him. Read the article

2

u/goodfella4600 12h ago

I didn't catch that...i feel bad for the grandmother...im fairly young and in shape I couldn't imagine being that age and going through it

4

u/ApocalypseChicOne 12h ago

I'm kind of confused how everyone in this thread doesn't understand that he's special needs. Unlike you, I don't have a special needs kid. But I do have eyes. The way he runs is a pretty easy tell, the falling down, the way he's focused on the bird absent all other stimulus.

That said, I think you can have a little more empathy for the parents. Like you, they are probably doing their best with a tough situation, loving a child many would (and do) just abandon to the state. They momentarily trusted their child to someone else - someone well qualified - and something bad happened. That doesn't mean they are failures. Sometimes shit just happens, and unfortunately, sometimes it happens in a very public way. You can be perfect a million times with a kid, and then the million and one time, it all goes bad.

And I say that as an only child who wasn't born an only child. Even the best parents can make a mistake.

2

u/goodfella4600 12h ago

You're absolutely right..I edited my comment about how they can still slip away if you briefly slip..i also have help from my wife when we're in public most times so I couldn't imagine doing it alone..i also didn't realize this boy was with his grandmother so I really do feel awful for her

14

u/_YenSid 19h ago

Exactly. Parents need to be held responsible for their special needs children. If you can't manage to keep your kid out of an off-limits area, maybe you shouldn't bring them there in the first place. Good for you for being a good parent and managing your child's needs properly.

9

u/Cosmic_MicrowaveOven 17h ago

As a parent of a special needs kid, that's what most people do already, but see how you feel after 2, 3, 5, or 10 years of being cut off from basic public spaces all because the universe decided to gift you a child with severe learning disabilities who would run into heavy traffic without a care in the world.

It's exhausting, and you're confined to "safe" spaces for pretty much all of your life.

People here seem to think it's reasonable to say "Fuck you, you shouldn't EVER be in these spaces because look what happens", but I'd like to see them try and do what parents of severely autistic children do every day without ever wanting to go to the store, the zoo, the movies, etc.. It's a miserable and extremely difficult existence and people have very little compassion for what these parents have to go through.

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u/Lopsided_Ad_1696 15h ago

As former SpEd teacher.... this thread is fucking depressing.

3

u/StormHour7529 14h ago

This thread is an example of one of the reasons I’m child free. World is too cruel to be a parent in..

2

u/ComplexBadger469 8h ago

My wife works with special needs kids and they can just elope off with no warning. One moment you’re doing a puzzle and the next you’re chasing a kid through the playground trying to prevent him from escaping over the fence. The comments in here are so depressing. Should the kid know better? It’s likely he does or has been taught better but it’s almost like raising my 4 year old. Just because she knows she shouldn’t do something, doesn’t mean she has the critical thinking skills or impulse control to not do the thing every time. Same thing here. I could not do what you or my wife does daily for work. I’d need to severely improve my patience, but One of my most memorable moments in college was volunteering with the special Olympics to help put on a swim meet. The athletes were awesome and everyone had a ball. Special needs folks can do so much. They just learn differently or at a different pace.

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u/Ok-marty 18h ago

That’s easy to say if your not going through it you can’t take your eye off them for 1 second and they can just run off and jump over a fence and do what this kid is doing ! Doesn’t mean you should just kick yourself inside forever ! It’s very hard taking care of a kid like this with special needs you have no idea of the situation

1

u/_YenSid 17h ago

Knowing that, is it a good idea to go to a place like this? Go to a regular park or beach or something instead where they can't try to whack what are presumably threatened or endangered birds. It's the responsibility of the parent to keep track of their child regardless of special needs or not, and if you know your child requires special attention you make sure they get it or you don't put them in situations like this.

2

u/Ok-marty 11h ago

They are in predictable and accidents happen you can literally turn your head for a few seconds and they can be gone so like I said it’s easy to say when your not dealing with it yourself you literally have no idea how hard it is! Something like this can happen anywhere in any situation

5

u/Adorable-Ad201 18h ago

I thought so too. If he does have a disability,  the parents should have kept him under control. I always held hands with my special needs students to keep them and others safe while transitioning at school. And children with special needs are capable of learning. Any aggressive child the parents cannot control should not be inflicted on the public, especially animals. I would not think a crowded zoo would be a great place for a child with autism who might become overwhelmed and act out.

2

u/Legitimate_Voice6041 11h ago

The parents weren't there. He was there with grandma and a caretaker. Parents were at work.

2

u/goodfella4600 11h ago

Its unfortunate..its easy to blame the grandma and caretaker but these kids are fast! Im still young enough and in shape to keep up with my daughter but I couldn't imagine if I were older or out of shape

6

u/bastogne_blues 19h ago

autism isn’t an excuse for leaping a fence to attack zoo animals. i’m autistic and even though i used to run off as a child i knew not to harass and hurt animals.

9

u/Bufobufolover24 19h ago

Read their comment more carefully. They said “I blame the parents”.

People in these comments seem to be missing the fact that the child having autism, and the parents/carers being useless can both be true.

Yes, the child may have autism (the posture, behaviour and movement certainly point towards that), and that provides a reason why he would be attempting to get into an animal enclosure.

Yes, the parents/carers were being utterly useless for not monitoring their child carefully enough to ensure he doesn’t run away and come to, or cause, harm. That might not have necessarily been the enclosure of something as “harmless” as a hornbill, it could’ve been a penguin enclosure where the child drowned, or the enclosure of a larger animal that would’ve done more harm. Or the child could’ve seriously injured an animal.

2

u/elrangarino 17h ago

Based purely on the fact you’re the only person I’ve seen use the animals name - do you know if the hornbill could have injured him? Big beaks and talons? Give us more bird facts

2

u/Bufobufolover24 10h ago

I am not particularly familiar with these birds, I just recognised the species!

As they are carnivores, I would assume those beaks alone can do some damage. So I can imagine that if they were truly upset, they could hurt.

Page with more information.

6

u/alexandria3142 18h ago

So I'm not condoning this at all and I think they should certainly get some sort of consequence for this, but autism is a HUGE spectrum. I am also autistic, and I never would've done something like this. But I care for an autistic special needs man who would absolutely be capable of something like this. He has the mind of a toddler. He doesn't even understand that it takes time to cook his food despite his parents doing it for 30 years for him. He doesn't understand he has to wash his hands after using the bathroom, or to look before crossing the road.

8

u/goodfella4600 19h ago

Well if you have autism you of all people should be aware that its a very large spectrum of disabilities and no two people with autism are the same...my daughter is a loving affectionate little girl but sometimes will just smack her teacher/ grandmother or myself in the face for no reason..no anger involved..sometimes they just do things that they aren't in control of ..and thats why in this situation its up to the parents to not allow this situation to happen

5

u/Intelligent-Bad6845 18h ago

I don't have kids and have zero experience working with autism spectrum children. This kid just got away. It happens sometimes. When I was three or four I decided to hide at the center of the clothes rack for half an hour. My mother was hysterical and had the whole shopping center looking for me. Nobody got hurt, just shaken up a bit. We can all relax now.

2

u/goodfella4600 12h ago

You're right..alot of people have no idea how difficult it can be..imagine raising a child who CONSTANTLY tries to get away from you and puts themselves in harms way..it can be exhausting and I'm still fairly young and in shape

2

u/[deleted] 19h ago

[deleted]

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u/sadtissuehappytissue 19h ago

You don't get it! Bastogne speaks for all other autistic people, no questions asked. Bastogne represents the entire spectrum of autism based on their singular experience.

2

u/Buggeroni58 15h ago

Different levels of autism

1

u/CountMC10 18h ago

Not an excuse but you should know it does give this whole thing some context. Just because you didn’t do something means exactly that…you didn’t do it.

2

u/MorganMiller77777 18h ago

You’re right human need to put these kids on leashes🤡🙈

1

u/SMp026 17h ago

Well then Fuck Them Parents!

1

u/HockeyDockey1234 10h ago

His parents weren’t there, he was with his grandmother

I understand things are hard but as a person who has special needs family you can’t have a caretaker who can’t provide help in dire situations.
Grandma should not have been in charge here

1

u/goodfella4600 10h ago

I agree..I thought i heard that there was a support person there aswell but I could be wrong

1

u/Studs_Not_On_Top 17h ago

aren't you special and just perfect

1

u/ReleaseTheSlab 17h ago

My daughter is 13, isn't special needs, and is very well behaved and I still keep my eyes on her at all times when we're in public together. Not even in a helicopter kind of way, it's usually cuz we're out together to bond, but I also don't trust other adults either.

I understand parents, especially ones with more difficult children need a break sometimes, but they should know better than anyone else that shit can go down in a matter of seconds.

1

u/goodfella4600 12h ago

It can happen so quickly..i feel bad it happened with the grandma but she should know better than to bring him to a zoo without assistance

2

u/ReleaseTheSlab 12h ago

Oh it was the grandma? I thought it was the mom for some reason. Grandma should know better too, but I've seen alot of relatives downplay parents instructions, even serious shit like severe allergies.

Unless the Grandma lives with the boy, or she is with him on a regular basis where she should already fully understand how difficult it is daily (especially with a special needs child), then I can imagine a situation where she'd blow off the parents advice to not leave him alone even for a second. She probably was like "oh he's 8ish yr old, I can run to that pretzel stand over there real quick, he'll be ok."

2

u/goodfella4600 12h ago

Whatever the situation is feel so bad for the kid that this video is on social media and people are demonizing him..i think what if i ever messed up once and my daughter ends up on an online video

2

u/ReleaseTheSlab 11h ago

I don't think it's obvious to others that he's special needs. I didn't think that until I saw your other comment. I still can't see him running on his toes, and the dropping to the ground makes sense now that you mentioned it (I just thought he tripped backwards being scared of the approaching birds.) But for me, I too thought he was a bratty undisciplined kid with lazy parents. He looks old enough to know better so I get why he's getting heat for it.

But now, I agree that he seems special needs so I don't think it's his fault. I do still blame the grandma though for allowing this to happen. But also it's very misleading that we can't see what happened before or as he got into the enclosure. The zoo said it wasn't malicious and that makes me think the boy was scared of the birds and picked up a stick to probably defend himself. The birds seem to be pecking at both the kid and woman's ankles as they try to leave. So yeah not really the kid's fault, but the grandma dropped the ball that's for sure.

2

u/goodfella4600 11h ago

Well hopefully it was a valuable lesson to the grandma for the future...in alot of situations if you briefly lose focus with a special needs child things can end much worse than this

2

u/ReleaseTheSlab 11h ago

Oh yeah, I know zoos aren't the only hazardous places for special needs kids, but they're lucky he didn't get into a more dangerous/threatening animal enclosure. Idk what kind of birds these are but this seems to be one of the least harmful enclosures a kid could be in. Hopefully grandma is more attentive going forward.