Quote: Shandonbelle @ 1st June 2016, 7:26 PM BST

I don't know. But I'm probably classed as an overprotective parent and I would have had mines hand caught at that age at all times in a crowded public place, the main concern would be them getting lost if separated.

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Or being nabbed by a paedophile. A drunk man once tried to grab my older son (about 8 years old) when we were coming out of an art gallery in a crowd. I bloody soon grabbed him back. Don't know what the intention was but I managed to get hold of some policemen nearby.

For the life of me I don't know why young children (e.g. 3-year-olds) aren't kept on reins more often. And if they don't like the restriction, too bad - there are a lot of things in life we just have to put up with and it's for their own safety.

Quote: keewik @ 1st June 2016, 9:26 PM BST

Or being nabbed by a paedophile. A drunk man once tried to grab my older son (about 8 years old) when we were coming out of an art gallery in a crowd. I bloody soon grabbed him back. Don't know what the intention was but I managed to get hold of some policemen nearby.

For the life of me I don't know why young children (e.g. 3-year-olds) aren't kept on reins more often. And if they don't like the restriction, too bad - there are a lot of things in life we just have to put up with and it's for their own safety.

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That's horrible and I'm glad you pointed him out to police. You do have to have eyes in the back of your head but I have reservations about reins because of the development aspect. If a child is unruly then using reins could be the worst solution and if the parent is just doing it for convenience it will also affect how the child interacts with the world around it. I have to admit when I see them I wonder if they really need to be there but I suppose sometimes they are essential and serve a useful purpose of keeping those insubordinate toddlers in check. They always seem too short though and baby reins that extend like dog leads would be a great invention and probably a lot more fun to use

Quote: Definitely Tarby @ 1st June 2016, 9:55 PM BST

I have reservations about reins because of the development aspect. If a child is unruly then using reins could be the worst solution and if the parent is just doing it for convenience it will also affect how the child interacts with the world around it.

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That's interesting as behaviour can be dictated by various appendages, and there is an argument against protective helmets for cyclists because it can make them cycle less carefully (or more recklessly) than they would were they not wearing one at all.

Quote: Shandonbelle @ 1st June 2016, 7:34 PM BST

Cool.
I'd have had Ray Mears jump in and save the day, if we're talking fantasy heroes

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He used to do experiments in the woods behind my home.

Has anyone noticed the uncanny similarity between Vladimir Putin and Andrew Marr?

Quote: A Horseradish @ 1st June 2016, 11:23 PM BST

Has anyone noticed the uncanny similarity between Vladimir Putin and Andrew Marr?

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I think I was the first person to ask if anyone had seen Jo Brand and John Sergeant in the same room at the same time.

Quote: fopdoodle @ 1st June 2016, 11:33 PM BST

I think I was the first person to ask if anyone had seen Jo Brand and John Sergeant in the same room at the same time.

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Quote: zooo @ 1st June 2016, 4:27 PM BST

That's why tranquiliser darts exist.

I hope the kid realises it's his fault the animal is dead. Not that I want him to top himself from the guilt or anything, but it's important to understand consequences, and he might f**king behave a bit more in future. There's no way he didn't know he was being naughty, climbing into the enclosure.

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Tranc darts really do not act quickly enough. Don't go by what you see in drama films.

I've seen them work immediately on zoo documentaries, but I'm sure they work at different speeds on different animals.

Quote: A Horseradish @ 1st June 2016, 11:23 PM BST

He used to do experiments in the woods behind my home.

Has anyone noticed the uncanny similarity between Vladimir Putin and Andrew Marr?

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Clare Balding - Ray Mears in a dress.

Quote: billwill @ 2nd June 2016, 1:52 AM BST

Tranc darts really do not act quickly enough. Don't go by what you see in drama films.

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I have been obsessed with the idea of 'rayguns' since I was a child. Just something you could point at someone without hurting them, but that would completely disable them temporarily from a distance (and very handy at parties as an adult if you are stuck with a crashing bore as you can just zap them and walk away rather than having to think up over-polite implausible excuses in order to get away).

We kinda have such things now, but not that would render an animal completely incapacitated immediately and for long enough to rescue a human. If you timed it right so it wouldn't fall and crush the person, and far enough away from water so it wouldn't drown.

But imagine how handy that would be for so many situations.

Quote: zooo @ 2nd June 2016, 9:32 AM BST

I've seen them work immediately on zoo documentaries, but I'm sure they work at different speeds on different animals.

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I have a feeling that they edited the film. Tranquilizing an animal is no different than sedating a human: you need to take weight into account, for example. A dose large enough to knock an animal out immediately could possibly kill them.

Here's a video of a chimp (maybe 1/4 the size of a gorilla) which escaped from a zoo in Japan. Notice that it gets enraged and actually leaps at the men who shot it. It also appears that the footage is edited, so there's no way of knowing just how long it took for the animal to be sedated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64BUx0ng8ww

I am in no way smug about the fact that I was right about the zoo being at fault, but the height of that fence?!! Even someone a tad unsteady on their feet could have fallen into enclosure!

Is just astonishing to me that this hadn't happened earlier, as I remember myself as a child with my parents - you get so excited, especially if they are perhaps not in full view, that you explore all around to see if you can find them - and that means not being tethered to a parent, who should also trust that their child will be safe!

Quote: fopdoodle @ 2nd June 2016, 1:44 PM BST

I am in no way smug about the fact that I was right about the zoo being at fault, but the height of that fence?!! Even someone a tad unsteady on their feet could have fallen into enclosure!

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Where did you see/read this? I haven't read anything about the barrier not meeting specifications and I doubt that one of the largest zoos in the nation has been operating with out-of-code safety features for years/decades.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/zoo-blamed-harambe-gorillas-death-8099162

. . . and I never believe what the tabloids claim, but the photos support it.

Quote: fopdoodle @ 2nd June 2016, 2:21 PM BST

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/zoo-blamed-harambe-gorillas-death-8099162

. . . and I never believe what the tabloids claim, but the photos support it.

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So "parenting expert" Sue Atkins is the authority? Her views would actually hold some weight if she were "zoo enclosure safety expert" Sue Atkins.

There's no way someone could accidentally topple over that fence unless they were 12 feet tall. The bushes are fairly substantial, too. The fact of the matter is that someone would have to intentionally scale several barriers and then jump 15 feet onto concrete to get to the gorillas. Sadly, there will always be someone willing to do just that.