Excuse me while I do your job for you.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I love zoos. I get as excited as a five-year old. But every time I go, I see buttbonnets treating animals like that. Takes all the joy and excitement out of the trip. So despite living mere blocks away from a zoo* I almost never go.

Tee hee hee. Tee hee hee.

You said "buttbonnet"

Tee hee heee....

buttbonnet....

[Mamadrae]

You know there's a reason to put a big red sign up like that, being I'm sure this kid is not the first to throw coins at the animals. I'm not sure what I would have done though. I may have said something to this kid, but I'm not sure I would have grabbed his arm. You just don't know what parents will do to anyone that touches their kids, even if it was harmless. Sorry to hear you were the one dragged away from all of this.

Normally I wouldn't have grabbed the kid either. The only reason I did was cause he was in the middle of his throw and his mother wasn't standing near enough to him to stop him, though she was encouraging his behavior so that didn't matter. I remember going to the zoo as a kid and I had to be near enough for my parents to control me. Minute I was to far away I got yelled at to get back by them before I got smacked.

I was more dragged away by the family before I beat the woman within an inch of her life. I'm normally a calm person and when it comes to beliefs and such I'm very tolerant. Blatant disregard for others though turns me into a mindless ranting beast that will rip someone's head off. Hence my family pulling me away and telling me to let the keeper handle the situation. I would've happily pitched the woman in with the hyenas and let her get her face mauled off while going "Obviously you have no feelings so stop screaming like you do."

Yes I am an evil vindictive little demon.

[Becks]

You'd think in a place where you simply observe animals there would be no SCers about...

No offense, but that's a bit of a naive thought...

They had pictures of the animal's x-rays showing coins and rings and such.

RINGS?

Oh, yeah. Petting rays is teh awsome.

[d962831]

Why, why do people think it's okay to treat other living beings with such mindless and pointless cruelty?

hat's just it though. They don't think, thus those sorts of things happen. I swear, I wish there was an idiot tax that was heavily enforced. If you're too stupid to even consider that what you're doing could be harmful, you deserve to have to pay heavily for it. It's said to think that common sense and common decency are dying traits in todays world.

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

"Animals don't have feelings anyways."

If you punched her in the face, maybe it would prove that animals (humans? mammal?) DO have feelings, but since we are civilized, we would NEVER do such a thing.

[Samaliel]

Yay, smack her upside her face, and say "You shouldn't have feelings; we ain't nothing but mammals after all."

[Nyx]

I'm the same on this. I would have mauled her within an inch of her life, verbally at least. I cannot stand any cruelty towards animals. I was at the zoo once when I heard a little boy asking his mom "mommy mommy can we see the orangutans?" her response was "No they are ugly". So being the little pest I am I had to say loud enough for her to hear as I walked past "Better looking then you." Apparently, as was told to me by the people I was with, she gave me a look of shock and death.

[RebeccaOTool]

What. The hell. I would have done the same thing you did.

God, people like that piss me off. I own three dogs, and have been caring for animals all my life. Anyone who says they don't have feelings is a certifiable moron.

[Bella_Vixen]

Becks, the string rays are back again this year.....

[Pagan]

The kids bang their fists on enclosure windows, throw garbage and junk food into pens and ponds, screech loudly enough to hurt sensitive animal ears and generally act like hooligans, while Mummsy and Daddums coo at their Widdle Pweshius' antics.

Or the ones here, while on a school outing at the Biopark, thought it would be just fine to scratch up 5 of the acrylic tanks in the Aquarium. Including the shark and large jellyfish tanks. Caused $30000 worth of damage. The little brats were arrested on felony charges and the school was banned from the whole of the Biopark. I think that's been lifted, though.

[Dreamstalker]

The parents were forced to pay for the damage, I hope?

[tropicsgoddess]

I would've done the same thing the OP did. I have a dog at home and for somebody to say animals don't have feelings and to think that can justify the cruel treatment of animals needs a and a trip to the !!!!

[Pagan]

The parents were forced to pay for the damage, I hope?

Unfortunately, due to state law, parents are liable for as much as $4,000 per child for damages. BUT, any additional damages could be garnished from future paychecks of the children involved. This happened a little over a year ago and I don't remember what happened in the end.

[Evil Queen]

Unfortunately, due to state law, parents are liable for as much as $4,000 per child for damages. BUT, any additional damages could be garnished from future paychecks of the children involved. This happened a little over a year ago and I don't remember what happened in the end.

I heard about that too. Last I heard, the garnishing of paychecks was still in effect. Granted the kids where, what? 13 at the time?

[Dreamstalker]

If the law allowed, I'd garnish the paychecks of the parents if possible (making sure they knew why) until the kids were old enough to work. The money has to be recovered somehow, better sooner than later.